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House passes bill to expand wilderness in 9 states
Seattle Times ^ | March 25, 2009 | Matthew Daly

Posted on 03/25/2009 2:07:23 PM PDT by jazusamo

WASHINGTON — Congress on Wednesday set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as protected wilderness - from California's Sierra Nevada mountains to the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia.

The legislation is on its way to President Barack Obama for his likely signature.

The House approved the bill, 285-140, the final step in a long legislative road that began last year.

The vote came two weeks after the House rejected the bill amid a partisan dispute over gun rights. The measure was brought up again in the Senate and approved last week, setting up Wednesday's vote.

The bill - a collection of nearly 170 separate measures - would be one of the largest expansions of wilderness protection in a quarter-century. It would confer the government's highest level of protection on land in California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Supporters called the bill landmark legislation that will strengthen the national park system, restore national forests, preserve wild and scenic rivers, protect battlefields and restore balance to the management of public lands.

Opponents, mostly Republicans, called the bill a "land grab" that would block energy development on vast swaths of federal land.

"After nearly a decade during which our parks were taken for granted and our range lands were scarred by a spider-web of roads and (drilling) well pads," the lands bill "represents a new dawn for America's heritage and American values," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and other Republicans complained that the measure would lock up millions of acres of land that could be explored for energy and used for other development.

(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 111th; agenda; agenda21; bho44; bhoenergy; bhoenvironment; enviornment; environazis; hr146; landgrab; nationalparks; propertyrights; wilderness; wildernessbill
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The environazis won another round.
1 posted on 03/25/2009 2:07:25 PM PDT by jazusamo
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To: jazusamo

and who owns this land right now?


2 posted on 03/25/2009 2:09:14 PM PDT by GeronL (http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: jazusamo

Oh great, more “public” owned property that the peasants can’t tread upon.


3 posted on 03/25/2009 2:09:16 PM PDT by caver (Obama's first goals: allow more killing of innocents and allow the killers of innocents to go free.)
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To: jazusamo

As Doc Hastings indicated, this is about shutting down American industry and INCREASING DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL!

Obama’s lies continue!!!


4 posted on 03/25/2009 2:09:39 PM PDT by G Larry (Obama's plan = "STEALING FROM THOSE WHO CREATE THE JOBS!")
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To: jazusamo

I would like to know the total amount of natural resources that are located on these lands.

A country rich in resources that refuses to use them. Stupid Americans.


5 posted on 03/25/2009 2:10:19 PM PDT by henkster (0bamanomics: "I'll loan you all the money you need to get out of debt.")
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To: george76; girlangler; Flycatcher

Wilderness bill Ping!


6 posted on 03/25/2009 2:10:35 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: G Larry

Title:
Enviro Terrorists Steal Land from Citizens


7 posted on 03/25/2009 2:10:39 PM PDT by JaneNC (I)
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To: jazusamo

I love how this always involves us westerners.
I pox on the eastern states!


8 posted on 03/25/2009 2:11:29 PM PDT by Colvin (Harry Reid is a sap sucking idiot.)
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To: jazusamo

“interstate commerce”? bullcrap. they’ve no right.


9 posted on 03/25/2009 2:11:59 PM PDT by chuck_the_tv_out
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To: jazusamo

Excellent....this will certainly pull us out of the recession. Way to focus congress.


10 posted on 03/25/2009 2:12:43 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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To: GeronL

My thoughts, but it may be a conversion of National Forests into National Parks, which, as I understand, are off limits to anything commercial.


11 posted on 03/25/2009 2:21:02 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Cancel liberal newspaper, magazine & cable TV subscriptions (Free TV-dtv.gov). Stop funding the MSM.)
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To: jazusamo

The ecos know not what they are doing.


12 posted on 03/25/2009 2:21:37 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: jazusamo

I thought this got killed a week or more ago in the Senate?

Geez. No love for us geologists that is for sure.


13 posted on 03/25/2009 2:23:28 PM PDT by doodad
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To: george76

They know exactly what they’re doing.


14 posted on 03/25/2009 2:26:16 PM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: jazusamo

This is an incredibly brilliant plan hatched to take away all revenues of these lands that might be generated from the underlying minerals.

America does not need this revenue, right?

See Obama talking about increasing revenues the same day!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123792991709930321.html


15 posted on 03/25/2009 2:27:52 PM PDT by bestintxas (It's great in Texas)
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To: doodad
Yes, it was defeated in the House two weeks ago but they went back for another shot.

Wilderness bill falls 2 votes short of passing the House

16 posted on 03/25/2009 2:30:40 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: george76
We conservatives seem too quick to attribute to ignorance what is more easily and naturally explained by pure evil and avarice. The eco/libs just want the land off-limits to human development and natural resource exploitation, plain and simple.
17 posted on 03/25/2009 2:31:50 PM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: jazusamo

“After nearly a decade during which our parks were taken for granted and our range lands were scarred by a spider-web of roads and (drilling) well pads,” the lands bill “represents a new dawn for America’s heritage and American values,” said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.


American values now seem to be defined as protecting urban backyard playgrounds so the masses can tear it apart just for a weekend of fun. No roads plus no logging equals a bonfire of epic proportions in the near future. Time to start up a hotshot firefighters company to meet the upcoming demand and tap into that bottomless well of federal money.


18 posted on 03/25/2009 2:34:41 PM PDT by crazyhorse691 (Now that the libs are in power dissent is not only unpatriotic, but, it is also racist.)
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To: jazusamo

the good news is we will be building more roads and bridge to get there-


19 posted on 03/25/2009 2:37:34 PM PDT by silverleaf (Freedom's just another word for "nothing left to lose")
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To: crazyhorse691

It wouldn’t surprise me to see the eco nuts win over the feds and stop all fire suppression in National Parks and wilderness areas because that’s “natures” way, oh how I hate these nuts.


20 posted on 03/25/2009 2:40:39 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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