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As the 118th Congress draws to a close, congressional committees held several hearings and markups the week of November 18 to consider over 100 pieces of legislation including several priority bills for the preservation community.

On November 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a marathon markup of over 70 bills where Senators weighed in on pending legislation.

The markup, previously slated for the September calendar, was rescheduled due to lawmakers leaving DC earlier than expected prior to the November elections.

More than 70 bills were approved by the committee, including several by voice vote such as a bill (S. 4216) to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve, and legislation (S. 4936) led by Senator Risch (R-ID) to delay the Lava Ridge wind project pending a GAO study on the impacts to the NPS Minidoka National Historic Site that helps tell the story of forced evacuation of Japanese Americans and Alaska Natives during World War II.

In the House, committee activity on November 19 included the House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee hearing on several items including the bill (H.R. 10084) led by Rep. Clyburn (D-SC) to reauthorize the African American Civil Rights Network – a program long supported by the National Trust as part of our ongoing efforts to support preservation and interpretation of sites related to African American activism, achievement, and resilience.

During the full committee markup the following day, the committee unanimously approved legislation (H.R. 4338) led by Reps. LaHood (R-IL) and Grace Napolitano (D-CA) that would designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail (NHT). This is the second time bipartisan House legislation to designate a Route 66 NHT has been approved by the full House Natural Resources Committee.

For several weeks, the possibility of a broad legislative package of lands-related bills from these and previous committee proceedings during this Congress has been a topic of conversation.

The slate of bills covering a wide range of issues, constituencies, and congressional support provide an opportunity for a bipartisan, bicameral package to emerge.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (I-WV) acknowledged this possibility but shared the busy Senate agenda after Thanksgiving and uncertainty of offsetting the cost may make this opportunity challenging.

On December 13, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland designated sixteen new National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) and two new National Natural Landmarks (NNLs) that represent unique stories, rich history, and significant natural resources of our nation. Included on the list for the NHL Program are two designations at historic places long advocated for by the National Trust.

The Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center in Socorro, Texas represents a significant site associated with the Bracero Program that brought skilled Mexican workers to the United States as part of the Mexican Farm Labor Program established by executive order in 1942. Recent efforts to document the site and it’s history help tell the unique story of labor, immigration, and migration patterns from the Bracero Program that shaped the region and beyond. In Guerneville, California, Pond Farm Pottery is a new addition to the NHL program adding a site within the Pond Farm Workshops artist colony conceived during World War II. The site was the home and studio for nationally-prominent ceramicist Marguerite Wildenhain, who fled Jewish persecution in Europe and taught at this summer school for three decades.

Read more about the preservation of Rio Vista and Pond Farm.

On Tuesday, August 8, the President used the Antiquities Act to establish the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni -Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in northern Arizona, an area considered sacred by many Tribal Nations in the Southwest and renowned for its natural, cultural, economic, scientific, and historic resources and broad recreation opportunities.

This national monument designation builds upon decades of efforts from Tribal Nations, state and local officials, conservation and outdoor recreation advocates, local business owners, and members of Congress to recognize and conserve these landscapes in perpetuity.

The new national monument consists of three distinct areas to the north and south of Grand Canyon National Park, totaling approximately 917,618 acres of federal lands in northern Arizona.

The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument protects these sacred places for cultural and spiritual uses, while respecting existing livestock grazing permits and preserving access for hunting and fishing.

President Theodore Roosevelt first used the Antiquities Act in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Since then, 18 presidents of both parties have used this authority to protect unique natural and historic features in America.

Learn more about the designation.