FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) Findings.—The Congress finds that— (1) the iron and steelmaking, coal, and transportation industries and the labor of their workers contributed significantly to America’s movement westward, allowed for the growth of the Nation’s cities, and helped fuel and move its industrial growth and development and establish its standing among nations of the world; (2) there are only a few recognized historic sites that are devoted to portraying the development and growth of heavy industry and the industrial labor movement in America; and (3) the 9-county region in southwestern Pennsylvania known as the Allegheny Highlands contain significant examples of iron and steel, coal, and transportation industries, and is a suitable region in which the story of American industrial heritage can be appropriately interpreted to present and future generations. (b) Purpose.—In furtherance of the findings set forth in subsection (a) of this section, it is the purpose of this Act to establish, through a commission representing all concerned levels of government, the means by which the cultural heritage of the 9-county region in southwestern Pennsylvania associated with the three basic industries of iron and steel, coal, and transportation may be recognized, preserved, promoted, interpreted, and made available for the benefit of the public.