Expressing support for maintaining the designation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1444 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1444

  Expressing support for maintaining the designation of the Delaware 
                  Water Gap National Recreation Area.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 21, 2026

   Mr. Kean (for himself and Mr. Gottheimer) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Expressing support for maintaining the designation of the Delaware 
                  Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Whereas the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area--

    (1) is a national recreation area located in New Jersey and 
Pennsylvania, encompassing nearly 70,000 acres;

    (2) provides numerous opportunities for recreation to visitors and 
local residents, including fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, camping, 
canoeing, and others;

    (3) is home to numerous rare, threatened, and endangered species of 
plants and animals;

    (4) is managed as a national recreation area, a unit of the National 
Park System established by Congress to promote recreation and public access 
in close cooperation with surrounding municipalities and gateway 
communities; and

    (5) has at times been the subject of proposals to change the 
designation of the Delaware Water Gap from a national recreation area to a 
national park and preserve;

Whereas, if enacted, a redesignation of the Delaware Water Gap National 
        Recreation Area as a national park and preserve would--

    (1) limit or prohibit access to certain recreational activities in 
certain areas of the park currently enjoyed by visitors and local 
residents;

    (2) result in more centralized Federal management and a corresponding 
reduction in the longstanding cooperative relationship with surrounding 
municipalities and gateway communities; and

    (3) cause significant strain on the infrastructure and resources 
surrounding the Delaware Water Gap and financial and economic losses to the 
surrounding area; and

Whereas it is fitting and proper for the House of Representatives to express 
        opposition to proposals, such as those to change the designation of the 
        Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area from a national recreation 
        area to a national park and preserve, in order to--

    (1) protect the freedom of local residents and visitors to enjoy all of 
the recreational activities the Delaware Water Gap has to offer;

    (2) preserve the longstanding cooperative relationship between the 
surrounding communities and Federal agencies in managing this area; and

    (3) prevent further strain on local resources and economic losses that 
may result: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area should 
        remain designated as a national recreational area;
            (2) Congress should continue to support this and other 
        national recreational areas to protect local access to outdoor 
        recreational opportunities;
            (3) Congress should continue to foster strong, locally 
        driven relationships with communities surrounding and nearby 
        our natural and tourism resources; and
            (4) no funds should be used to support the redesignation of 
        the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a national 
        park and preserve.
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