Chair Grijalva Hails Passage of Public Lands Bills, Looks Forward to Senate Action on Grand Canyon Protection Measure, Other Major Conservation Goals

Press Release

Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed passage of the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, a package of Natural Resources Committee bills that includes Grijalva's Grand Canyon Protection Act; Rep. Joe Neguse's (D-Colo.) Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act; and a collection of bills introduced in the last Congress as a package by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) under the heading Protecting America's Wilderness Act.

The Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act designates 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, ensuring that iconic landscapes like the Grand Canyon and Colorado's Thompson Divide are permanently protected from the irreversible threats posed by extraction.

The package now heads to the Senate, where Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) recently introduced the Grand Canyon Protection Act in that chamber.

The bills introduced in the previous Congress as the Protecting America's Wilderness Act heading and now included in the new package are:

San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act, Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.)
Colorado Wilderness Act, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.)
Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.)
Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.)
Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)

You can learn more about the package and how each bill protects public lands and our quality of life at https://naturalresources.house.gov/media/media-advisories/wilderness2021.

"Protecting our environment is not a matter of choice or political preference," Grijalva said today. "It's the only path forward for our country and our way of life. We know climate change is going to change the way we look at our land, our nation and ourselves. The more work we do to prepare now and protect the lands and waters we rely on, the better we'll leave this world for our children and grandchildren."

SUPPORT FOR CALIFORNIA BILLS AND OVERALL PACKAGE

Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.)

"The San Gabriel Mountains, with their beautiful rivers, forests, and mountain trails so close to the density of Los Angeles, are a true gift to the millions who have little to no access to parks or green space. That is why I want to make sure as many people as possible have the chance to visit, both today and for years in the future. That is what today's vote will help accomplish. As our state grows and our climate changes, its untouched wild lands and habitats could disappear. The Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, which represents one of the most important steps for public lands protection in our state's history, would ensure that hundreds of thousands of acres of wild lands and habitats in Southern, Central, and Northern California are protected for generations to come."

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