New England Wilderness Act of 2006
NEW ENGLAND WILDERNESS ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - November 15, 2006)
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Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from West Virginia.
This has been a somewhat long and unusual path to get here to where we are today, and I want to thank the gentlewoman and I want to thank the committee for their support and I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Bradley and Mr. Bass from New Hampshire, for their very hard work on this, and the New Hampshire delegation in the Senate and Senator Leahy and Senator Jeffords for where we are today.
I rise, obviously, in very strong support of this legislation which would designate wilderness areas in both Vermont and New Hampshire. This legislation passed the Senate unanimously in September, and I hope this body will pass it today in similar fashion.
I should point out that the New England Wilderness Act not only has the unanimous support of the New Hampshire delegation and the Vermont delegation but the Governor of the State of Vermont and the Governor of the State of New Hampshire as well.
Mr. Speaker, the Green Mountain National Forest is integral to the State of Vermont. Established in 1932, the forest includes almost 400,000 acres stretching across two-thirds the length of the State. As you might imagine, the forest looms large on the minds of Vermonters. My constituents have high expectations about the stewardship of the resources within the forest, and the wilderness created in this bill is something almost all Vermonters eagerly await.
In fact, passage of the New England Wilderness Act would mark a successful culmination of on-the-ground efforts in both Vermont and New Hampshire. In Vermont, this has involved roughly 5 years of discussions as well as cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service as they worked to update the forest management plan which included a significant public process.
For example, five local planning groups met monthly during the planning process, and over 70 public meetings occurred during this same period. Additionally, four educational forums on the future management of the forest and four open houses on the forest plan also took place. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, throughout the whole undertaking, one message was very clear: Designating wilderness areas in the State of Vermont has the overwhelming support of the vast majority of the people in my State.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I ask for the support of all of my colleagues to pass this important legislation. Enacting this legislation into law will provide lasting benefits to current and future generations of citizens in Vermont and New Hampshire and throughout the entire United States, and I look forward to celebrating this important milestone.
Once again, I want to thank the committee and my colleagues from New Hampshire for their very hard work on this.
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