To modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the author of H.R. 2121, and I'd like to thank Chairman Rahall and ranking member Young and their staff on the Natural Resource Committee for assisting and moving this legislation forward.

H.R. 2121 is a straightforward bill that would allow the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society to implement a new Human Use/Natural Resource Management Plan for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Chippewa County, Michigan.

While this legislation was approved by the House of Representatives in September of 2006 in the 109th Congress, but the 109th Congress ended before the Senate had time to consider the bill. By acting on this bill now, I am hopeful the House will allow the Senate ample time to consider and approve this legislation.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Since 1992, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has operated the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to educate the public about shipwrecks in the region.

The museum provides exhibits on several shipwrecks in the area, including an in-depth exhibit on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was lost with her entire crew of 29 men near Whitefish Point, Michigan on November 10, 1975. Among the items on display is a 200- pound bronze bell recovered from the wreckage in 1995 as a memorial to her lost crew.

In 2002, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Audubon Society, and the local community, finalized a new management plan to improve the experience at the museum.

The new management plan, which was signed and agreed upon by all the parties, will allow the Historical Society to expand the museum exhibits while addressing concerns about parking and access to surrounding wildlife areas.

However, because the original land grant patent references the previous management plan, legislation to amend the patent is necessary before the new management plan can be implemented. In response, I've introduced this legislation, H.R. 2121, to amend the land grant patent to allow the new plan to be implemented.

Congressman Dave Camp from Michigan has joined me in cosponsoring this legislation, and I thank him for his support.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has continuously improved the experience at the museum since it was established in 1992. With the approval of H.R. 2121, Congress will allow the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to further develop this cultural and historical resource.

I urge my colleagues to support this simple legislation which will improve the opportunities available to visitors of Chippewa County, Michigan, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

I thank all Members for their cooperation with this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2121) to modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Michigan's Upper Peninsula sits on land jutting out into Lake Superior near the Canadian border. The museum collection presents the history of and preserves artifacts from the many shipwrecks that occurred in the area, including perhaps the most famous, the Edmund Fitzgerald, which went down in 1975, along with her crew of 29 men.

The museum sits on land originally obtained from the Department of the Interior under a land grant patent. A new management plan developed by the museum would improve visitor services. This legislation amends the original patent to reference the new management plan.

Representative Stupak is to be commended for his diligence on behalf of this legislation. An earlier version of this measure was approved by the House in the last Congress, and we urge our colleagues to support H.R. 2121 today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield such time as he may consume to my colleague, Mr. Stupak to speak to the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I yield back.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 2121 is a simple measure that updates a land patent reference to an outdated management plan currently being used by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. This 8-acre property was obtained in 1992 from the Department of the Interior under a land grant patent. Under the new resource management plan, the museum will be able to greatly improve its visitor access to wildlife areas and to expand its facilities to accommodate additional shipwreck exhibits.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and yield back the balance of my time.