U.S. Democratic Representative Pete Visclosky from northwest Indiana introduced a bill Thursday to redesignate Dunes National Lakeshore as Dunes National Park.
In a statement, Visclosky said "It is past time that the rest of the nation recognizes the environmental wonder and significance of the lakeshore dunes in Northwest Indiana."
Visclosky says he hopes a Dunes National Park would receive more tourism dollars. It would be Indiana's first national park and the nation's 60th.
All nine members of Indiana's congressional delegation are co-sponsoring the bill, which awaits deliberation in the House Natural Resources Committee. Congress recessed Wednesday night until after the November elections.