FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

SEC. 102. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. (a) Findings.—Congress finds that— (1) the industrial and cultural heritage of northeastern Pennsylvania, including Lackawanna County, Luzerne County, Wayne County, and Susquehanna County, related directly to anthracite and anthracite-related industries, is nationally significant; (2) the industries referred to in paragraph (1) include anthracite mining, ironmaking, textiles, and rail transportation; (3) the industrial and cultural heritage of the anthracite and anthracite-related industries in the region described in paragraph (1) includes the social history and living cultural traditions of the people of the region; (4) the labor movement of the region played a significant role in the development of the Nation, including— (A) the formation of many major unions such as the United Mine Workers of America; and (B) crucial struggles to improve wages and working conditions, such as the 1900 and 1902 anthracite strikes (5)(A) the Secretary of the Interior is responsible for protecting the historical and cultural resources of the United States; and (B) there are significant examples of those resources within the region described in paragraph (1) that merit the involvement of the Federal Government to develop, in cooperation with the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and local and governmental entities, programs and projects to conserve, protect, and interpret this heritage adequately for future generations, while providing opportunities for education and revitalization; and114 STAT. 815 (6) the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority would be an appropriate management entity for a Heritage Area established in the region described in paragraph (1). (b) Purposes.—The purposes of the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area are— (1) to foster a close working relationship among all levels of government, the private sector, and the local communities in the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania and enable the communities to conserve their heritage while continuing to pursue economic opportunities; and (2) to conserve, interpret, and develop the historical, cultural, natural, and recreational resources related to the industrial and cultural heritage of the 4-county region described in subsection (a)(1).