Hickenlooper, Bennet Herald Committee Passage of Bill to Protect Amache National Historic Site

Bill was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, of which Hickenlooper is a member

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet celebrated the bipartisan committee passage of their bill to establish Camp Amache as a National Historic Site. The Amache National Historic Site Act passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and now heads to the full Senate to become law.

“Amache is a warning of what happens when we give in to hate and fearmongering,” saidHickenlooper, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources which approved the bill. “Learning from this tragedy is the best way to ensure we never repeat it.”

“It has never been a guarantee that America’s highest ideals will always prevail. Our country’s forced relocation of Japanese Americans to incarceration facilities like Amache in Colorado during World War II proves that,” said Bennet. “Our bill to add Amache to the National Park System will preserve its story and help ensure future generations can learn from this dark period of our history. Today’s vote was a huge step forward – and I’ll keep pushing to get this bill to President Biden’s desk.”

“Today’s vote speaks to the strong bipartisan and grassroots legacy of Amache. We applaud the leadership of Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and the enduring voice of the Amache community. As America’s storyteller, the National Park Service can preserve places like Amache that challenge us all to act toward a better future where justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are America’s top priority. Time is of the essence. We urge Congress to keep the momentum going and look forward to swiftly getting this bill through the full Senate and to President Biden’s desk,” said Tracy Coppola, Colorado Senior Program Manager, National Parks Conservation Association.

“Today’s vote on the Amache National Historic Site Act in the Senate brings me hope and I thank Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper for their leadership. I now urge the full Senate to pass this bill. The time is not only right; it is long overdue,” said Amache survivor Bob Fuchigami.

The Amache National Historic Site is a former Japanese-American incarceration facility outside of Granada, Colorado. The Amache National Historic Site Act, which Hickenlooper and Bennet introduced in April, would help honor those who were imprisoned by preserving the site’s history and educating future generations. 

Earlier this year, the House passed a companion bill to Hickenlooper and Bennet’s Amache National Historic Site Act. The House companion bill was led by Colorado U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, Ken Buck, Jason Crow, Ed Perlmutter, and Diana DeGette.

In 2018, Bennet introduced the Amache Study Act, which directed the Department of the Interior to conduct a Special Resource Study (SRS) to assess Amache’s historical significance and determine the feasibility of adding the site to the National Park System. The act was signed into law in 2019 as part of the Dingell Conservation Act.