Last week the US congress passed the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009. This act is a combination of 164 separate bills loosely related to public land use. The bill added protection for over 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states. As a result, thousands of miles of trails are now protected from commercial development.
According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “the lands act also includes numerous water-related provisions that will help manage the drought, improve aging infrastructure, recharge groundwater supplies, and promote the reuse and recycling of water.” In the Pacific Northwest, protections are added for land around Mt. Hood among others.
On March 11th, the bill fell two votes short of the 2/3 majority required for it to pass. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law later today. More on the bill can be found here. The full text of the bill can be found here.
