On behalf of the many Americans from around the country who wished to see action on the Omnibus Public Lands Bill, S. 3213, the Campaign for America's Wilderness expresses its disappointment that a short schedule and a still-evolving response to the financial crisis will apparently prevent action by the Senate on that important piece of legislation by this week.
Americans can take heart in Majority Leader Reid's indication that the bill will be considered at the beginning of the 111th Congress in January. This bipartisan package has broad backing because it includes 15 important wilderness bills that would protect nearly two million acres of new wilderness, from California and Oregon to Virginia and West Virginia, as a legacy for future generations.
Years of hard work by senators, representatives, conservationists, local elected officials, small business owners, and outdoor sporting enthusiasts have gone into the wilderness provisions in this omnibus legislation. In addition to wilderness designations, the omnibus package includes numerous measures dealing with water issues and land exchanges that are of great concern to many local communities because of their economic benefits. Congress must not allow the great collaboration and consensus on this beneficial package to go for naught.
Americans are looking to their public servants in Congress to stimulate the economy with appropriate measures for the current conditions, but they are also hoping Congress will leave this country a better place for their children and grandchildren. Enacting conservation bills to help protect special wild areas -- as sources of clean air and water and as habitat for wildlife -- should also be a priority. We look forward to Senator Reid's leadership early in the new year to see these important bills passed along to the new president for his early signature.
