Several conservation bills that failed to gain traction in the previous congressional session are being packaged in a bill proposed by Rep. Raъl Grijalva (D-AZ-3).
The Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act includes eight previously introduced measures for public lands and waters in California, Arizona, Colorado and Washington.
According to the House Natural Resources Committee, the bill would designate approximately 1.49 million acres of public land as wilderness and incorporates more than 1,000 river miles into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The bill would also withdraw more than 1.2 million acres of public land from new oil and gas and mining claims, including the Grand Canyon and Colorado’s Thompson Divide.
The vote on the measure is expected as soon as the week of Feb. 22.
