Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., proposed legislation to establish a new national historic park in the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, which extends through both Rhode Island and Massachusetts along the Blackstone River. Reed is the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment, the committee in charge of funding for the Nation Park Service.
This plan has been in the works for a long time and is the "next logical step" for the park, said Edward Sanderson, executive director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Committee. The designation as a national heritage corridor was important because it recognized the park and provided it with federal resources, but the designation is slated to expire. The new classification as a national historical park will permanently protect the park and will give the corridor greater recognition and access to funding and other resources, he added.
Recognizing the corridor as a national park will also increase traffic to the park, Sanderson said.
Converting the park would transfer authority to the National Park Service, so national park rangers would be a constant presence in the park.
The new park would be funded by selling land on the Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling companies. Sanderson said there has been no opposition to the bill on environmental grounds or otherwise.
The National Park Service released a special resources study last August, which found the park was eligible for national park status. The corridor was deemed eligible because "the resources of the Blackstone River Valley depict a distinctive and important aspect of American history that is not adequately represented elsewhere," according to the study. The resources include textile mills that represent the origin of the American Industrial Revolution and illustrate American economic development.
Naming the corridor a national park is feasible because "existing roads and visitor infrastructure" provide adequate access to the park. The report finally determined that "the resources under consideration would be best managed with the long term involvement of the National Park Service."
Reed introduced the bill October 13, 2011 in conjunction with Sen. John Kerry, D-M.A., Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Sen. Scott Brown, R-M.A., in the Senate and Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., Rep. Richard Neal, D-M.A., Rep. James McGovern, D-M.A., and Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., in the House of Representatives. Reed brought the bill before the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks March 7.
"(The bill) would create a multi-site park that could boost tourism and economic development in the region and preserve as well as protect valuable natural and cultural resources for future generations of Americans," according to Reed's website.
If the bill passes the subcommittee, it will need to be approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee before it could be considered on the floor of the Senate.
