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WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko today cheered the passage of a provision he has long pushed for that would extend reauthorization of 30 National Heritage Areas including the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Corridor under the INVEST Act, just advanced out of the House. If signed into law, the legislation would authorize these historic sites to continue receiving federal support.

“Our National Heritage Areas serve as powerful economic drivers for communities as well as rich, cultural treasures that allow future generations to connect with their past,” Congressman Tonko said. “By reauthorizing cherished sites like our Erie Canalway National Heritage corridor and Hudson River Valley National Heritage Corridor can continue serving their communities independently while supporting the surrounding economies. More work is needed to make this extension permanent and I will keep pushing for my own National Heritage Area legislation to ensure Americans in communities across our nation can enjoy these treasured sites for many years to come.”

As co-chair of the Heritage Caucus, Rep. Tonko has long pressed for legislation that supports America’s heritage areas. For years, he has championed the bipartisan National Heritage Area Act, which would formalize the process for designating and maintaining National Heritage Areas and establish a longterm reauthorization for all Heritage Areas. Recently, he led bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Erie Canalway and Hudson River Valley Heritage Areas to ensure these sites continue to receive federal support.

The United States Department of Commerce estimates that heritage areas contribute $192 billion to the U.S. economy every year. These sites are a powerful leverage of public funds, with public and private partnerships matching an average of five dollars and fifty cents for every one dollar in federal funding—a nearly 6 to 1 return on investment for the American taxpayer.

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