The House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act this week with a final vote of 285 to 140. This followed a week after the bill passed 77 to 21 in the Senate. The legislation, which goes to Pres. Obama for final approval next week, protects 2 million acres of wilderness and 1,000 miles of rivers while prohibiting new oil and gas development on 1.2 million acres in Wyoming. It also affirms the 26-million-acre National Landscape Conservation System.
“This is a major conservation victory that preserves wild places throughout the US forever,” said Conservation Alliance Executive Director John Sterling.
Every conservation provision included in the legislation started at the local level where grassroots organizations led the charge to build public support to protect a special landscape or waterway. The Conservation Alliance supported the local organizations that led the efforts behind 12 of the 16 Wilderness provisions included in the package. The Alliance also funded the groups leading the efforts behind protecting the Snake River Headwaters, and closing the Wyoming Range to new oil and gas development.
In total, The Conservation Alliance contributed more than $700,000 to ten different organizations whose good work eventually wound up in the package. The Alliance also worked in close partnership with Outdoor Industry Association to demonstrate that the outdoor industry stood uniformly behind the provisions in this package.
“This is a big victory, and we did everything within the limits of our lean staff capacity and financial resources to ensure it crossed the finish line,” said Sterling.
