Pending Legislation
It is important to stress the immediate threat that another public lands omnibus bill could pass Congress this year. It is very likely that some sort of public lands omnibus bill will be introduced in the upcoming session of Congress. Whether or not it will pass is anything but certain. An omnibus will have several hurdles to overcome. And, any effort to close more public lands has an engaged, motivated adversary - you. We are counting on you to add your voice to the rest of the mobilized OHV community across the country.
If we assume the next omnibus will originate in the Senate, that means that Utah's Senator Bennett, an outgoing Republican, may very well press for legislation for Utah's San Juan County. In addition, both Idaho's Senators have introduced the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act, a bill that will close tens of thousands of increasingly rare high alpine snowmobiling, just over 80 miles of epic single track mountain bike trails. The latest version of this bill also eliminates language that secures motorized access to the very popular and scenic Germania Creek-East Fork/Grand Prize trail. The new bill not only takes away the East Fork/Grand Prize section, it also allows closure of the entire route "for non-motorized recreation purposes." Those two bills alone rate any omnibus as a high priority for BRC.
It has been suggested that an omnibus bill could include several new National Monuments that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is evaluating. In addition, committees have approved a dozen or more bills that are likely omnibus candidates. Senator Feinstein's California Desert Protection Act and Colorado's San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act are likely to be included as well.
The Washington D.C. based Wilderness lobbyists are saying the next Congress is not as likely to be as Wilderness friendly, and they are looking to push as many Wilderness bills as far as they can.
Wilderness Bills Introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives
S. 721 / H.R. 1769 - Washington: Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Wild Pratt River Act
S. 1272 / H.R. 2888 - Oregon: Devil's Staircase Wilderness Act of 2009
S. 874/H.R. 5334 - New Mexico: Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act
S. 2762/H.R. 3914 - Colorado: The San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act
S. 2976/H.R. 4558 - Michigan: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act
S. 3294/H.R. 5205 - Idaho: Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act
S. 1470 - Montana: Forest Jobs and Recreation Act (Montana's ill named Wilderness bill would close Mt. Jefferson to snowmobiling.
S. 1689 - New Mexico: The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act
S. 2921 - California: The California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act
S. 2963 - Oregon: The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Act of 2010
S. 3310 - South Dakota: The Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act of 2010
S. 3470 - Tennessee: The Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010
H.R. 3444 - California: Pinnacles National Park Act
H.R. 4309 - California: Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Act of 2009
H.R. 5009 - Utah: The Wasatch Wilderness and Watershed Protection Act
Again, each bill will face hurdles separate from the hurdles the omnibus bill itself will face. But if a lame duck session occurs, it is easy to see how a bunch of these bills could become law before January, 2011.
BRC Action Item - Take Action Today
Please don't let the simplicity of the action item suggest to you it isn't important.
Please take action today! If nothing is done, Congress will adjourn 2010 barreling toward a future of vast wilderness areas of unimaginable scope. Just one of the "Twin Initiatives," for example, would lock up more than 35 million acres of BLM lands across the West.
OHV and snowmobile enthusiasts must speak now. Our message must be simple and clear:
- No Omnibus
- No Lame Duck Session of Congress
- I want my Congressman and Senator to support the National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R. 5580).
Use our webpage to find your congressional representative's phone number. Letters and phone calls work best, emails are okay, but don't carry the same weight as a call or letter.
Our webpage has a lot of other information that will be helpful. And as always, feel free to call our public lands staff with questions or comments.
Brian Hawthorne Ric Foster
208-237-1008 ext 102 208-237-1008 ext 107
