House includes vital conservation provisions in 2021 spending plan
U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, DC
Mason Cummings (TWS)
House approves protections for Boundary Waters, Chaco Canyon, other iconic lands in FY2021 spending bill
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2020--- The Wilderness Society applauds the vital conservation provisions that were approved today in the House FY 2021 appropriations bill for Interior Department spending.
Statement from America Fitzpatrick, senior representative at The Wilderness Society
“At a time when communities and public lands face an ever-growing list of challenges from a world-wide pandemic to social and justice inequities, we are thankful the House has committed to protecting places like Chaco Canyon and the Boundary Waters and investing in people and public lands. Funding the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program ensures access to quality parks and green spaces for the communities that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts and already lack access to the outdoors will ensure stronger and more resilient communities for generations to come.”
The Wilderness Society strongly endorses several key provisions in the bill including the following.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
This provision would prohibit funds from the Department of the Interior (DOI) for advancing a mine plan for a toxic sulfide-ore copper mine on the edge of the most visited Wilderness in the country, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Boundary Waters in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota not only provides habitat for wildlife, it is a refuge for people from every state in the U.S and is the core to the region’s booming outdoor recreation industry. Despite the clear case against copper mining in this area, the Trump Administration has moved aggressively to advance the destructive, foreign-owned, Twin Metals mine. The Trump Administration abruptly cancelled an environmental review and proposed mineral withdrawal (mining prohibition) 20 months into a 24-month process. Since then, it has overturned a DOI Solicitor’s opinion, reinstated and renewed expired leases, and is currently reviewing a mine plan by Twin Metals that would endanger the Boundary Waters.
Chaco Canyon
The House bill continues an existing moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Under this provision, no funds would be made available for the Department of the Interior to nominate or offer oil and gas leases on federal lands within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. This would protect federal lands surrounding Chaco Canyon from additional oil and gas development, while the administration works to address the concerns of tribes and pueblos which call the area home through a new land management plan. Located in the Four Corners region of Northern New Mexico, Chaco Canyon was the cultural center for Ancestral Puebloans, and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program The allocation of $100 million for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program represents a historic increase in our investment in local parks at a critical time, and it is a natural complement to the House’s vote this week to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The ORLP ensures access to quality parks and greenspaces for the communities facing the greatest park deficits. The renewed commitment to ensuring access to local parks and quality outdoors spaces is an important investment at a time when the country faces a global pandemic and ongoing racial inequities. Quality parks and outdoors recreation help to ensure that all people can experience the physical, mental, and social benefits of nature.
Contact: Michael Reinemer, michael_reinemer@tws.org, 202-429-3949
