President Joe Biden signed the National Heritage Area Act into law on Jan. 5.

The act, S. 1942, will have long-lasting impact on local National Heritage Areas including the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area, and Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

The National Heritage Area Act creates standard criteria for the funding, management, and designation of National Heritage Areas (NHAs) across the country and provides them with an annual authorization of funding for the next 15 years.

“Learning that S. 1942 has been signed into law is a relief and an excitement for us and the people we serve,” said Claire W. Sadler, Executive Director of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. “We now have the stability necessary to focus our energy where it’s needed most.”

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Easton that preserves the nationally significant historic transportation route that carried coal and iron from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol.

It covers Luzerne, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Bucks counties and has signature programs like the D & L Trail and the National Canal Museum.