Now, a bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives threatens those memories. H.R. 4089 is a sneak attack on wilderness disguised as a pro-hunting bill.
And thanks to Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, this gem is on its way to permanent protection with the introduction of the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Act (S. 2468).
In fact, it should be called the “Motorize Our Wilderness Areas Act,” for it would allow motorized access, road construction and even logging in designated Wilderness Areas.
Help! We just learned that the “Sportsmen’s Heritage Act” (H.R. 4089) is headed to the House floor today. This benign-sounding bill contains Trojan Horse language that would eviscerate the Wilderness Act of 1964.
For months we have been frustrated at Congress for not moving (or passing for that matter!) any wilderness bills. In fact, as our report Wilderness Under Siege makes clear, there are now at least 13 bills pending in the U.S.
