U.S. senators introduce bill to designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail

Three U.S. senators announced last week they proposed legislation to designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail, though its prospects for passage in the lame-duck session of Congress are uncertain.

U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford of Oklahoma and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, all Republicans, stated in a news release they introduced bill number S.5170 that would amend the National Trails System Act and add Route 66 to the system.

The bill is listed here, though its text had not been uploaded as of Sunday night.

Here’s what the senators stated in the news release about Route 66 and their bill:

“Oklahoma is home to the longest drivable stretch of ‘America’s Main Street,’ which earned its name from decades of connecting small businesses and rural communities with visitors from around the country,” said Inhofe. “Museums from Clinton to Elk City to Chandler highlight the impact of this road as a representation of American pioneer values. I am proud to re-introduce this bill with vital protections for energy infrastructure, alongside Sens. Lankford and Cruz that will ensure Route 66 receives the recognition it deserves as a National Historic Trail.”

“Oklahomans know well the value Route 66 has had on tourism, transportation, and culture in our state,” said Lankford. “I think most people assume Route 66 has already received any and all historic designations and protections it needs at this point due to its longstanding popularity as a fixture of American culture, but it still has one more national recognition left: the Registry of Historic Trails. I’m glad to partner with Senator Inhofe to add it to the Registry of Historic Trails for our nation and ensure doing so is a blessing for those who live and work near the Route, rather than a burden.”

“The great state of Texas is proud to be home to part of the iconic Route 66 and I am proud to work with Senator Inhofe to designate this highway as a historic trail,” said Cruz. “Adding this designation will ensure not only that this highway’s impact is fully recognized, but will also safeguard the U.S. energy industry, which is vitally important to Texas.”

Bill Thomas of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, which has been a supporter of such bills, stated in an email Friday he was “working our contacts in D.C. to learn more” about the measure.

The news release states the bill “incorporates important safeguards to ensures (sic) no future potential harm to energy development projects occur as a result of the designation.”

I know of at least one oil and gas rig along Route 66 in western Oklahoma where the old road serves as a vital link to the site, and there may be others. I suspect this caveat won’t be a big hurdle to the designation; economic development always has been a part of Route 66 history.

Previous Route 66 National Historic Trail bills have enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress in recent years but have failed to advance in time to become law. The current bill doesn’t have much time before the current session in Congress ends in early January.

However, the bill’s chances aren’t zero. Inhofe, 88, is retiring at the end of the session. He previously has stated his support for such Route 66 legislation, and lawmakers might be inclined to pass this bill and give him a parting gift before he departs from Washington.

Route 66 News endorsed making Route 66 a National Historic Trail more than a decade ago. We laid out the reasons here.

(Image of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., by Gage Skidmore via Flickr)