In an overwhelming bipartisan vote of confidence in the future of public lands and waters, the Senate passed one of the most important wilderness protection bills, safeguarding more than 1.3 million acres of pristine natural habitat and nearly 620 miles of rivers.
The legislation permanently takes mining off the table for broad reaches of public lands in Montana and Washington State, protecting nearby Yellowstone and North Cascades National Parks from the threat of toxic mining waste. And it authorizes permanent financing—from oil and gas royalties paid to the federal government—for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which provides crucial grants supporting federal, state, and local conservation programs nationwide.
The new bill would also protect 99,653 acres of fish habitat in the North Umpqua River watershed by creating the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Management Area.
LINK (via: NRDC)
