Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 116 Part 4.djvu/455

 PUBLIC LAW 107-337—DEC. 16, 2002 116 STAT. 2883 Public Law 107-337 107th Congress An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area in west Houston, Texas. 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 "Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area Study Act". SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING BUFFALO BAYOU, TEXAS. (a) FINDINGS. —The Congress finds the following: (1) The area beginning at Shepherd Drive in west Houston, Texas, and extending to the Turning Basin, commonly referred to as the "Buffalo Bayou", made a unique contribution to the cultural, political, and industrial development of the United States. (2) The Buffalo Bayou is distinctive as the first spine of modern industrial development in Texas and one of the first ailong the Gulf of Mexico coast. (3) The Buffalo Bayou played a significant role in the struggle for Texas independence. (4) The Buffalo Bayou developed a prosperous and productive shipping industry that survives today. (5) The Buffalo Bayou led in the development of Texas' petrochemical industry that made Houston the center of the early oil boom in America. (6) The Buffalo Bayou developed a sophisticated shipping system, leading to the formation of the modern day Houston Ship Channel. (7) The Buffalo Bayou developed a significant industrial base, and served as the focal point for the new city of Houston. (8) There is a longstanding commitment by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Inc., to complete the Buffalo Bayou Trail along the 12-mile segment of the Buffalo Bayou. (9) There is a need for assistance for the preservation and promotion of the significance of the Buffalo Bayou as a system for transportation, industry, commerce, and immigration. (10) The Department of the Interior is responsible for protecting the Nation's cultural and historical resources. There are significant examples of such resources within the Buffalo Dec. 16, 2002 [H.R. 1776] Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area Study Act.

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