WASHINGTON – Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) has introduced a bill, H.R. 3704, to improve Keweenaw National Historic Park’s ability to preserve the sites, structures and other cultural artifacts important to the Keweenaw Peninsula’s mining history.  

“The Keweenaw National Historical Park is home to an incredible treasure of historic resources,” Stupak said.  “This bill will help preserve these resources for future generations to enjoy.”
 
Among other provisions, the legislation would increase the amount of funding the federal government may appropriate for the Park to allow for continued development of the Park.  Stupak noted that the bill would also change the local to federal matching requirements for the park.
 
“Under current law, the federal government provides the Keweenaw Historic Park with $1 for every $4 raised by the local community,” Stupak noted.  “Because this is an incredibly high burden to meet, this legislation would reduce the burden on the local community by setting a $1 to $1 matching ratio.”
 
The bill would also eliminate a prohibition on the Department of the Interior from acquiring any lands that have become contaminated.  
 
“Currently, the Keweenaw National Historic Park is prevented, under federal law, from acquiring any contaminated land,” Stupak noted. “This legislation would provide needed flexibility for the Park to expand and grow, by allowing the Park to acquire sites that might be contaminated, yet have significant historical value.”
 
The Keweenaw area is steeped in a rich history of copper mining.  The region is the only area in the country where prehistoric, aboriginal mining of copper occurred.  In the 1800s, reports of the vast copper resources prompted a mining rush, attracting entrepreneurs and tens of thousands of immigrants to the region.  By 1849, the Keweenaw Peninsula provided 85 percent of the nation’s copper production, powering America’s industrial revolution.
 
Stupak’s bill is similar to companion legislation that is sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senator Carl Levin of Michigan.