The US House of Representatives passed a historic public land preservation bill that promises to protect nearly 3 million hectares of federal land in Colorado, California, Washington and Arizona.
The act combines several bills that languished without Senate approval during the Trump administration. Key provisions include the permanent ban on new uranium mining on land around the Grand Canyon, giving jungle designation to 1.5 million acres of federal land and preserving 1,000 miles of river adding them to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
“This is one of the largest public land protection bills ever presented to Congress,” said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president for government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association. “The wilderness designation is the strongest protection that exists to ensure that the land will never be developed. And it cannot be undone with a stroke of the pen. “
The bill, called the Public Land and Desert Protection Act of America, has strong support from the Biden government, in part because it will help the president achieve his goal of protecting at least 30% of US land from development by 2030 to combat the climate change.
Still, the bill must first pass through a divided Senate. Given the partisan opposition of some Republican senators to the measure, approval may reach Vice President Kamala Harris, who will cast the tiebreaker.
Sponsored by Colorado representative Diana DeGette, the bill passed the House by 227 votes to 200, usually on party lines. During the debate on Thursday, Republican representatives in Congress who opposed the act argued that it, among other things, would inhibit fire-fighting skills in areas close to or surrounded by wilderness areas in California and Colorado and create an additional burden for land administrators.
“This bill will not help the environment, but instead it will kill jobs and endanger our national security and the United States’ energy dependency,” said Arkansas Congressman Bruce Westerman, the committee’s most senior Republican member. of the Chamber’s natural resources.
The package of eight individually sponsored accounts incorporated into the Law includes:
Arizona
The Grand Canyon Protection Act would provide a victory in the decades-long battle waged by the Havasupai tribe, who live at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, to protect their drinking water from uranium mining contamination. The project permanently removes more than 1 million acres of federal property north and south of the Grand Canyon from eligibility for new mining claims.
“The Grand Canyon is the homeland of indigenous peoples, a major driver of Arizona’s outdoor recreation and tourism-driven economy, and a world wonder,” said Amber Reimondo, director of energy for the Grand Canyon Trust. “The risks of uranium mining are not worth it now and never will be. We look forward to the Grand Canyon Protection Act becoming law. “
California
Four different bills significantly increase opportunities for recreation on public land in the state of Golden. A new 400-mile trail along the central coast would connect wild areas in the north and south in the Los Padres National Forest. In northwestern California, a total of 306,500 acres would be protected under the jungle designation. In Southern California, popular recreation areas in the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains would be significantly expanded and protected from development.
Colorado
Initially introduced by DeGette more than a decade ago, a Colorado measure will add 660,000 acres of public land to the National Nature Preservation System. While many of Colorado’s high mountain peaks are already designated as wilderness areas, the new law specifically protects low-lying areas that are popular for recreation and critical wildlife habitat. Like all lands in the wild system, areas will be banned for motor vehicles and resource extraction. An additional measure provides protection for 400,000 acres of federal land by designating wilderness areas and limiting oil and gas development.
Washington
This project aims to expand the designated wilderness on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and add 460 miles of river to the National Wild and Scenic River System.