SELC applauds progress on bipartisan land protection bills 

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture unanimously advanced a bipartisan slate of four land protection bills, carrying 42,000 acres of wilderness protection and tens of thousands of additional acres of Scenic and Special Management Areas across Arkansas, Illinois, and Virginia.  

In response, SELC Federal Legislative Director Anders Reynolds released the following statement: 

“These bills – and the vote to report them favorably out of Committee – reflect bipartisan momentum around enhancing wilderness designations and supporting recreation, tourism and the preservation of natural resources.  

“They send a signal that land designations aren’t just a niche issue, but a priority for communities who are alarmed by recent attacks on habitat, recreation, and forest ecology – to say nothing of the civil servants who steward them. SELC applauds Chairman John Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar for their leadership on this action.”