Lawmaker wants to continue Indiana Dunes national park plan

PORTER, Ind. (AP) - A congressman from Gary wants to continue the push to turn Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore into America's 61st national park.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that Democratic U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky says efforts will continue with the new Congress.

The U.S. House approved proposal failed to advance from a Senate subcommittee and expired Thursday when the 2-year term of the 115th Congress ended.

Visclosky said renaming Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore a national park may help grow the regional economy and provide the 15,000-acre lakeshore along Lake Michigan "with the recognition it deserves."

National Park Service acting director P. Daniel Smith told a U.S. Senate subcommittee in August that the Trump administration wants to limit that designation to sites with a variety of resources and encompassing large land or water areas.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com