Good news today straight out of the office of Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.:
DOMENICI: ROUTE 66 REAUTHORIZATION BILL
GETS COMMITTEE STAMP OF APPROVALWASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici today said he is pleased that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee — of which he is ranking member — has approved a measure he authored to provide economic sustenance in rural America by preserving portions of historic Route 66.
Domenici introduced the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Reauthorization Act of 2008 earlier this year, which would reauthorize a National Park Service (NPS) program that collaborates with local private property owners and entities to preserve portions along historic, which runs from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif. The measure, cosponsored by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, now awaits consideration by the full Senate. A companion bill has been introduced in the House by Rep. Heather Wilson.
“Towns and cities across New Mexico have a vested interest in the development and revitalization of Route 66. These local efforts to preserve the authentic nature of points along this historic highway can help ensure the longevity of these often rural areas to save aspects of Route 66’s place in America’s 20th century history. I am pleased this bill has received committee-level approval, and I hope the Senate will approve it during this session of Congress,” said Domenici.
“Driving Route 66 is still one of the best ways to see our country. This bill will enhance that experience by highlighting some of the most historic and interesting aspects of the route,” U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman said.
The Domenici-Bingaman legislation would reauthorize the program for another 10 years to support grassroots efforts to preserve portions of Route 66. Since 1999, the NPS program has provided cost-share grants—which function in conjunction with resources from private property owners, non-profit organizations, and local, state, federal, and tribal governments — to restore local Route 66 properties dating back to 1926.
Projects in New Mexico received $220,000 in federal Route 66 cost-share grants between 2001 and 2006. Funds have been used to support projects such as revitalization of a historic Tucumcari structure, an oral history project, and a statewide sign restoration program.
Domenici also authored the “Route 66 Study Act”—enacted by Congress in 1990 to direct the NPS to determine the best methods to preserve, commemorate and interpret Route 66—which led to the subsequent 1999 creation of the existing program.
Route 66 was designated in 1926 and in 1938 became the first completely paved highway across the United States, traversing Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The highway was decommissioned in 1985.
The press release is tailored to be of interest to New Mexicans. But believe me, the Route 66 Preservation Corridor Program has provided numerous benefits to all eight states in which Route 66 traversed, especially in cost-share grants that have helped private property owners preserve historic buildings.
The program, under the legislation, would be extended to the year 2019.
The bill number is S.3010.