H.R. 6798 — Calumet National Heritage Area Act

This section states congressional findings on the cultural, natural, historical, economic, and recreational significance of the Calumet region—composed of three counties in Indiana and portions of two counties in Illinois—including its industrial heritage (e.g., as the leading U.S. steel-producing region), natural assets (e.g., Indiana Dunes National Park and 48,000 acres of protected land), historic sites (e.g., Pullman National Historical Park), and local partnerships supporting its designation as the Calumet National Heritage Area, as outlined in a National Park Service-approved feasibility study.

This section designates the Calumet National Heritage Area in Indiana and Illinois—covering parts of Chicago from 71st Street and Lake Michigan westward and southward to the Indiana state line, including Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties—as a component of the National Heritage Area System and names the Calumet Heritage Partnership as its local coordinating entity. (As background, National Heritage Areas are congressionally designated landscapes where the National Park Service partners with local entities to promote the conservation of historic, cultural, scenic, and natural resources.) It further requires the local coordinating entity to submit a management plan to the Secretary of the Interior within three years of enactment and terminates the Secretary's authority to provide assistance for the area 15 years after enactment.