Natural History Wanderings

Press Release Sierra Club

HOUSE PASSES “PREVENTING NEW PARKS” BILL

Single-minded power play risks America’s great outdoors

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation limiting administrative authority to permanently protect public lands, H.R. 1459. Such authority has been used for over 100 years by presidents of both parties to protect what are today some of America’s best-loved natural treasures. In fact, nearly half of all national parks were first national monuments, including icons like the Grand Canyon and Muir Woods.

In response Dan Chu, Senior Director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America Campaign issued the following statement:

“The American people have made it clear that there is strong support for protecting our nation’s public lands. We saw it in the outrage over national park closures during the government shutdown; we’ve seen it in recent polls showing that public lands are valued by voters; and we continue to see it in the outpouring of praise for President Obama’s recent addition of Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands to the California Coastal National Monument.

“Protected public lands, whether parks, monuments or wilderness areas, are good for local economies, for our quality of life, and for future generations. Instead of undermining popular protection efforts, House Republicans should be doing their part to further efforts to make our protected public lands more representative of America’s diverse history and continue the conservation legacy that is so vital to communities across the country.”

###

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters nationwide. In addition to creating opportunities for people of all ages, levels and locations to have meaningful outdoor experiences, the Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org.

Related articles

• California Coastal National Monument Gets New Jewel (naturalhistorywanderings.com)
• House Passes ‘No New Parks’ Bill (ecowatch.com)