On Sunday, the U.S. Senate approved a cloture motion on legislation that would set aside 2 million acres in nine states as wilderness and prevent oil and gas drilling on these lands.
The motion, which passed by a vote of 66-12, ends debate on the bill and rules out the possibility of a Republican filibuster. The Senate is expected to approve the bill later in the week.
If the House follows suit, the bill will create the largest expansion of wilderness protection in 25 years. The highest levelo of federal protection would be granted to land ranging from California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range to Oregon’s Mount Hood, as well Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and parts of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia. Land in Idaho’s Owyhee canyons, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan and Zion National Park in Utah would also be protected.
The bill also would designate the childhood home of former President Bill Clinton in Hope, Arkansas, as a national historic site.
Read full coverage at the link below.
Loading...