Cicilline Bill to Create National Park Unit in Blackstone River Valley Clears Committee

WASHINGTON, DC – The effort to establish a new national park in the Blackstone River Valley passed a critical hurdle when the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Establishment Act (H.R. 706) late last week. U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI), who introduced the legislation in the House, says the bill will preserve and protect nationally significant resources throughout the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, promote economic development opportunities, and enhance historic and natural resources of the Blackstone Valley.

Last year, Cicilline testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation in support of his bill.

“We are one step closer to establishing a new national park in the Blackstone River Valley and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in both chambers to improve and advance this legislation,” said Cicilline. “The Blackstone Valley was home to the American Industrial Revolution and I can think of no better way to protect this natural and historic treasure for future generations of Rhode Islanders and visitors to enjoy than by establishing a new national park.”

Spanning from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI, the Blackstone River Valley is the Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. The Valley’s beauty and history embodies a landscape rich in natural, historic, and cultural treasures. If enacted, the legislation will help preserve these icons of industry, environment, and history for generations to come. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) has led the effort in the U.S. Senate to establish a national park for the Blackstone River Valley. Reed’s proposal, which has received bipartisan support in the Senate has cleared the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Established by Congress in November 1986, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor now includes all or part of twenty-four communities extending from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI. The Corridor contains approximately 400,000 acres of land in total. In 2013, the National Park Service released a Special Resource Study for the purpose of determining whether the resources evaluated in the Heritage Corridor meet the criteria for inclusion as a unit of the National Park System. The study was completed following extensive input from local stakeholders, the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, National Park Service staff, and historians.

Drawing from the Special Resource Study, Cicilline’s legislation would establish a new unit of the National Park System to be known as the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. The Park would be comprised of sites and districts in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts including the Blackstone River and its tributaries; the Blackstone Canal; the non-contiguous nationally significant historic districts of Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket; the villages of Slatersville (in North Smithfield) and Ashton (in Cumberland) Rhode Island; and Whitinsville and Hopedale in Massachusetts.