Bill Summary
The **Calumet National Heritage Area Act** seeks to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to officially designate the Calumet National Heritage Area, which spans parts of Indiana and Illinois, as a component of the National Heritage Area System. This legislation recognizes the region's rich cultural, natural, and historical resources, highlighting its significance as a landscape shaped by industrialization and its ecological diversity at the southern end of Lake Michigan.
The Act outlines Congress's findings that the Calumet region has unique educational, historical, and recreational opportunities, and emphasizes its importance to local communities and visitors. It notes the area's historical significance in industrial development, particularly in the steel industry, and its role in shaping working-class and ethnic cultures.
As part of the designation, the Calumet Heritage Partnership will serve as the local coordinating entity responsible for managing the area. A management plan for the heritage area must be submitted for approval within three years of the Act's enactment. The Act allows for federal assistance to support the heritage area but stipulates that this authority will terminate 15 years after the Act's passage. Overall, the legislation aims to enhance the conservation and promotion of the Calumet region's resources and heritage.
Possible Impacts
The Calumet National Heritage Area Act could affect people in the following ways:
1. **Economic Opportunities**: The designation of the Calumet National Heritage Area could lead to increased tourism and economic development in the region. Local businesses, including restaurants, hotels, and shops, may benefit from an influx of visitors interested in exploring the area's cultural, historical, and natural attractions. This could create new job opportunities for residents and stimulate the local economy.
2. **Cultural and Educational Programs**: With the establishment of a national heritage area, there may be increased funding and support for cultural and educational programs that highlight the unique history and biodiversity of the Calumet region. Residents and visitors could gain access to workshops, guided tours, and events that promote understanding of the area's industrial heritage and ecological restoration efforts, fostering a sense of community pride and awareness.
3. **Environmental Conservation and Restoration**: The act emphasizes the importance of environmental conservation in the Calumet region. Local residents may see improvements in their environment as conservation initiatives are implemented. The designation could lead to enhanced efforts in ecological restoration, which may improve air and water quality, provide recreational spaces, and preserve natural landscapes for future generations, thereby enhancing the quality of life for those living in and around the heritage area.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3501 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3501
To amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and
Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage
Area System the Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana
and Illinois, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 16, 2025
Mr. Young (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Banks, and Ms. Duckworth)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and
Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage
Area System the Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana
and Illinois, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Calumet National Heritage Area
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the Calumet region is composed of--
(A) 3 counties in the State of Indiana; and
(B) portions of 2 counties in the State of
Illinois;
(2) taken as a whole, the Calumet region--
(A) possesses exceptional cultural, natural, and
historical resources that form a cohesive and
nationally distinctive landscape;
(B) showcases landscapes that arose from the
unprecedented encounter of United States industrial
urbanization with a richly biodiverse natural region at
the southern end of Lake Michigan; and
(C) offers compelling educational opportunities
relating to--
(i) the manner in which industrial progress
forged dramatic changes to the natural world;
(ii) the importance of environmental
conservation and restoration, innovation, and
change for industries and workers; and
(iii) the range of cultural practices
brought to the Calumet region by the large
numbers of immigrants and migrants who settled
in the Calumet region;
(3) there is a national interest in conserving, restoring,
promoting, and interpreting the benefits of the Calumet
National Heritage Area for--
(A) the residents of the Calumet region; and
(B) visitors to the Calumet National Heritage Area;
(4) the nationally significant historical and cultural
resources located in the Calumet National Heritage Area
represent unique aspects of the heritage of the United States;
(5) the Calumet region--
(A) was previously designated as a natural
botanical preserve; and
(B) was the site of early advances in the science
of ecology;
(6) with respect to the economic development of the United
States--
(A) the post-Civil War industrial boom in the
Calumet region made the Calumet region the largest
industrial district in the world during the first half
of the 20th century;
(B) the Calumet region remains the leading steel
producing region in the United States;
(C) the economic development took place at the
water, rail, and highway transportation crossroads of
the United States; and
(D) industrialists pioneered new methods of housing
employees in industrial towns at Pullman, Marktown, and
Gary;
(7) employees that were drawn to the Calumet region made
the Calumet region a crucible of working class and ethnic
cultures;
(8) new approaches to natural resource management in an
industrial region were developed in the Calumet region;
(9) significant historical and cultural sites in the
Calumet region include--
(A) the ongoing presence of the steel industry in
the United States, including the most recently
constructed integrated steelworks and the largest
operating integrated steelworks;
(B) Pullman National Historical Park;
(C) Indiana Dunes National Park;
(D) a National Historic Landmark;
(E) 4 Historic American Engineering Record sites;
(F) 5 Historic American Buildings Survey sites;
(G) 2 National Scenic Byways;
(H) 2 units of the National Water Trails System;
and
(I) 2 National Underground Railroad Network to
Freedom sites;
(10) nationally significant natural and physical resources
in the Calumet region include spectacular natural, scenic, and
recreational assets, including--
(A) Indiana Dunes National Park, 1 of the most
species-rich units of the National Park System,
including the critical conservation land that buffers
the unit;
(B) outstanding examples of glaciated landscapes
that illustrate ecological succession;
(C) 5 national natural landmarks;
(D) 48,000 acres of land protected outside the
boundary of the Indiana Dunes National Park, a
significant record of urban conservation by land
trusts, local park districts, and forest preserve
districts; and
(E) an active legacy of ecological restoration,
including on the Grand Calumet Area of Concern and at
hundreds of sites benefitting from volunteer
contributions;
(11) local public and private partnerships based on the
visions of the community and region that are working together
to promote the stewardship, enhancement, and interpretation of
the resources of the Calumet National Heritage Area;
(12) to promote the goals described in paragraph (11),
local residents, organizations, and governments support the
establishment of a national heritage area, as indicated in the
Calumet National Heritage Area Feasibility Study approved by
the National Park Service; and
(13) the designation of the Calumet National Heritage Area
would enhance the efforts to promote the cultural, natural,
historical, and recreational resources of the Calumet region
that have been made by--
(A) the States of Indiana and Illinois;
(B) political subdivisions of the States of Indiana
and Illinois;
(C) the Field Museum of Natural History;
(D) Indiana Dunes Tourism;
(E) the South Shore Convention and Visitors
Authority;
(F) volunteer organizations; and
(G) private businesses.
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF CALUMET NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.
(a) Designation.--Section 6001(a) of the John D. Dingell, Jr.
Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9; 133
Stat. 768; 136 Stat. 6163) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(14) Calumet national heritage area.--
``(A) In general.--There is established as a
component of the National Heritage Area System the
Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana
and Illinois, as depicted on the map on page 25 of the
Calumet National Heritage Area Feasibility Study, dated
April 14, 2018, as subsequently modified, the
boundaries of which start at 71st Street and Lake
Michigan in Chicago and proceed west along 71st Street
to Western Avenue, then south on Western Avenue to 95th
Street, then west on 95th Street to Pulaski Road, then
south on Pulaski Road to I-57, then south on I-57 to
Crete-Monee Road, then east on Crete-Monee Road,
continuing on West New Monee Road to end at State
Street, and then extend to the Indiana State Line, with
Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties included.
``(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Calumet
Heritage Partnership shall be the local coordinating
entity for the National Heritage Area designated by
subparagraph (A).''.
(b) Management Plan.--For the purposes of section 6001(c) of the
John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act
(Public Law 116-9; 133 Stat. 772; 136 Stat. 6173), the local
coordinating entity for the Calumet National Heritage Area designated
under the amendment made by subsection (a) shall submit to the
Secretary of the Interior for approval a proposed management plan for
the Calumet National Heritage Area not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act.
(c) Termination of Authority.--For the purposes of subsection
(g)(4) of section 6001 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation,
Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9; 133 Stat. 776), the
authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance under
that section for the Calumet National Heritage Area designated under
the amendment made by subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that
is 15 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
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