Senate passed largest land conservation bill in decades.

[PaladinSolo]

What year is it!?  In a vote of 92-8 the bill creates over a million acres of new "wilderness" which means no development can happen or mining of any kind, permanently authorizes the land and water conservation fund which uses oil and gas royalties and fees to do clean up.  

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/climate/senate-conservation-bill.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR05HHS1vT5Uho9iEW53zAHCu9vDFKj0POFnh91q1AkaLEdUMTVPNdwUbXA

 

“This package gives our country a million acres of new wilderness, protects a million acres of public lands from future mining, permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and balances conservation and recreation for the long term,” said Representative Raúl Grijalva, the Arizona Democrat who heads the House Natural Resources Committee. “It’s one of the biggest bipartisan wins for this country I’ve ever seen in Congress.”

Among the most consequential provisions is the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal program established in 1964 that uses fees and royalties paid by oil and gas companies drilling in federal waters to pay for onshore conservation programs.

 

Although the program has long enjoyed bipartisan support, Congress typically renews it for only a few years at a time, and it expired on Sept. 30 and has not been renewed. The new public lands package would authorize the program permanently, ending its long cycle of nearing or passing expiration and awaiting Congressional renewal.

 

The bill designates 1.3 million acres in Utah, New Mexico, Oregon and California as “wilderness,” the most stringent level of federal land protection. It prohibits any development and the use of most motorized vehicles. And the bill creates less-stringent but permanent protections of land in Montana and Washington state.

 

It also classifies approximately 225 miles of river in Massachusetts and Connecticut and 280 miles of river in Oregon as wild, scenic, or recreational. It includes three new national monuments to be administered by the National Park Service: the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Jackson, Miss., the Mill Springs National Monument in Kentucky and the Camp Nelson National Monument in Kentucky.

[Nokra]

Holy shit, I'm actually impressed. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

I'm legitimately stunned.

[SaysWho?]

 

[SaysWho?]

Quote

Western lawmakers of both parties have been working for four years on the bill, which will next be taken up by the House of Representatives, where it also enjoys bipartisan support.

 

Quote

Among the most consequential provisions is the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal program established in 1964 that uses fees and royalties paid by oil and gas companies drilling in federal waters to pay for onshore conservation programs.

 

Although the program has long enjoyed bipartisan support, Congress typically renews it for only a few years at a time, and it expired on Sept. 30 and has not been renewed. The new public lands package would authorize the program permanently, ending its long cycle of nearing or passing expiration and awaiting Congressional renewal.

 

Wanted to really emphasize these two items. Pretty cool shit.

[Pikachu]

[SaysWho?]

Trying to find the 8 no votes since there's no summary yet online. Mike Lee was one of the no votes.

[GeneticBlueprint]

I'm curious if any of the land in Utah pertains to the land that was recently opened to economic activity (re: mining) on some of the national parks here.

[Greatoneshere]

This is great news, but isn't it undermined by Trump having given away different federally protected land anyway?