September 30, 2021
A bill introduced last week by Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters called the Preserving the MotorCities Heritage Act will be heard next week by the Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee.
This important legislation, known as S.2763, would extend the authorization of the MotorCities National Heritage Area Partnership through 2036 to commemorate, conserve and promote the cultural, historical, and natural resources of one of the most impactful and significant stories of American industrial history — the development of the automobile and the legacy stories of the people it has inspired across southeast and central Michigan.
The MotorCities National Heritage Area is one of 30 National Heritage Areas nationwide that face an authorization that will sunset this year without swift congressional action.
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, October 6 at 10 a.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington D.C.
“The people of Michigan can out-work, out-think and out-imagine anybody, and the MotorCities National Heritage Area has been instrumental in celebrating that legacy,” said Senator Stabenow. “This legislation ensures that MotorCities’ partnership will continue to preserve and share our rich automotive history for generations to come.”
“I applaud this effort by our Michigan Senators to ensure the legacy of our auto and labor history and continue our organization’s affiliation with the National Park Service” said Shawn Pomaville-Size, Executive Director at the MotorCities National Heritage Area. “National Heritage Areas are a proven model of the cost-effectiveness of a partnership approach. Together with local communities in Michigan, this affiliation will allow us to continue to improve our economic and cultural outlook by preserving our singular auto legacy.”
The MotorCities National Heritage Area was created by Congress in 1998, reauthorized in 2014, and amended in 2019 by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act. The MotorCities National Heritage Area includes 16 counties and represents over 10,000 square miles of southeast and central Michigan where the region, which includes Detroit, Flint, and Dearborn, “put the world on wheels.” Annually, the MotorCities National Heritage Area supports over 5,000 jobs and generates nearly $500 million in economic impact, and for every federal dollar invested, an additional $5.50 is leveraged in local and private funding partnerships.