WASHINGTON (April 18, 2007) -- Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Resources, today introduced legislation to protect the National Landscape Conservation System, the crown jewels of the Bureau of Land Management's lands and waters.
Senate bill 1139 would make the System, which currently has no mandate as such, permanent, and is an endorsement of an administrative designation made by former President Bill Clinton in 2000. The Conservation System is a network of the last places to experience the history and wild beauty of the American West, and its 26 million acres of National Monuments, wilderness areas, scenic rivers & trails, and historic sites provide a uniquely American experience.
But unlike the National Parks and the National Wildlife Refuges, there currently is no guarantee that the System will be around five years from now. These extraordinary places are being ruined by vandalism, reckless off-road vehicle use, oil and gas drilling, and neglect. With an average of less than one ranger for every 200,000 acres, there are too few staff to protect these lands.
The President's FY'08 Budget Request for the Conservation System proposed the lowest funding levels since the System was established, providing less than $2.00 an acre to manage some of the crown jewels of western public lands.
Richard Moe, President, National Trust for Historic Preservation: "The cultural resources found in the Conservation System represent the opening chapters in the story of America. To lose these resources - as we have been in increasing danger of doing - would diminish the nation's spirit. We're very pleased and grateful that Senator Bingaman is leading the effort to afford their permanent protection."
William Meadows, President, The Wilderness Society: "With increasing oil and gas development pressures on Western lands, it is critical that we keep the National Landscape Conservation System healthy, wild, and open. BLM’s Conservation System warrants the stature and funding of its better-known cousins, the National Parks and Refuges. Thanks to Senator Bingaman's legislation today to make the System permanent, it may soon have it."
Sens. Ken Salazar (D-CO), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are original cosponsors of Senator Bingaman's bill.
Protection of the Conservation System also has support from the National Landscape Conservation System Congressional Caucus. Members of the Caucus are Reps. Mary Bono (R-CA); Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ); James Moran (D-VA); Rick Renzi (R-AZ); Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); Shelley Berkley (D-NV); Lois Capps (D-CA); Diana DeGette (D-CO); Lloyd Doggett (D-TX); Bob Filner (D-CA); Jim Gerlach R-PA); Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD); Maurice Hinchey (D-NY); Rush Holt (D-NJ); Jay Inslee (D-WA); Mark Kirk (R-IL); Barbara Lee (D-CA); Carolyn Maloney (D-NY); Buck McKeon (R-CA); John Olver (D-MA); Frank Pallone (D-NJ); Mark Udall (D-CO); Tom Udall (D-NM); and Heather Wilson (R-NM). Caucus Co-Chairs are Rep. Grijalva, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, and Reps. Bono, Moran and Renzi.
The Conservation System includes more than 800 units, including 15 National Monuments, 13 National Conservation Areas, Steens Mountain Cooperative Management Protection Area in Oregon, Headwaters Forest Reserve in northern California, 36 Wild and Scenic Rivers, 148 Wilderness Areas, 4,264 miles of National Scenic and Historic Trails, and more than 600 Wilderness Study Areas. For more information about the Conservation System, and the Conservation System Alliance, go to www.discovernlcs.org.
