Sierra Club Statement on Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing on Public Lands Bills

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry passed a series of bipartisan bills that would preserve treasured public landscapes across the United States, while also advancing a controversial forestry bill.

Committee members voted to advance four bills together as a single public lands package, with overwhelming support from Democratic and Republican members:

• Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act (S. 2548): This bill would provide increased protection to three of the largest uninterrupted areas of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. The proposal would establish the Burke Branch, Camp Hutchins and Ripple Hollow Special Management Areas, and would also establish a new Wilderness Area within Camp Hutchins and preserve some of the most remarkable landscapes, biodiversity, and water resources in southern Illinois.
• Shenandoah Mountain Act (S. 1681): This bill would designate the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area within the George Washington National Forest, protecting spectacular areas for outdoor recreation, important sources of local drinking water, and opportunities for hunting and fishing.
• Virginia Wilderness Additions Act (S. 1680): This bill would expand two existing wilderness areas near Lexington, Virginia – Rough Mountain Wilderness and Rich Mountain Wilderness. The expansions preserve the area’s scenic beauty and expand opportunities for hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, and other activities.
• Flatside Wilderness Additions Act (H.R.1612): This bill would add approximately 2,212 acres to the Flatside Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas. It would also redesignate the area as the Flatside-Bethune Wilderness to honor the completed designation of the wilderness area.

In a separate move, the Committee also advanced the misleadingly titled “Fix Our Forests Act,” which would greatly increase the timber industry’s ability to log trees in national forests, potentially including the last remaining old growth trees in the United States. Old growth trees can be as old as 4,000 to 5,000 years.

In response, Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, released the following statement:

“Protecting our public lands brings Americans together, regardless of geography or ideology. These bills not only protect fragile landscapes, but also expand access for recreation, allowing greater access to the special places that make up this county. The bipartisan support these bills have shows there is commitment in Congress to preserve our natural heritage and pass it onto the next generation, and we urge Congress to act on that commitment.”