Wilderness Bill Passes Congress – Obama Expected to Sign Law that Protects 200,000 acres in Oregon!

Statement of Ivan Maluski, Conservation Coordinator for the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club on the passage of Omnibus Wilderness Bill Protecting 200,000 acres in Oregon:

“Today is a victory for wild forests, wild rivers and wild deserts across Oregon. The passage of the Omnibus Public Lands Act by the U.S. House of Representatives is cause for celebration for all Oregonians who enjoy clean water, wilderness, outdoor recreation, and fishing and hunting opportunities. Oregonians can be very proud of our entire Congressional delegation for supporting these efforts. While all of the wilderness areas and wild rivers in Oregon protected by this legislation enjoyed broad public support, the critical ingredient was the leadership, perseverance and vision of Senator Wyden, Congressman Blumenauer, Congressman DeFazio, Congressman Walden, and Congressman Wu. Newly elected Senator Merkley and Congressman Schrader also deserve great credit for their votes in support of this ‘good for Oregon’ legislation that has been painstakingly crafted and debated in Congress since 2004. The Sierra Club looks forward to continuing to work with our entire Congressional delegation in support of the protection of roadless areas, old growth forests, new wilderness areas and new wild and scenic rivers in the coming months and years.”

“In addition to strong new protections for 200,000 acres in Oregon, this victory today is of national significance, and this bill has been actively supported by Sierra Club members across the country who have worked to pass this legislation to protect important lands and waters nationwide for future generations.”

Oregon Legislative Update – Protecting Our Environment

A quick update from the Oregon Legislature. There’s only a little more than one month left for bills to pass out of their committee of origin before they either die or make it to the next level. We’ve got write ups with up-to-date information on some of the key bills we are tracking at http://www.oregon.sierraclub.org/tracker.

We have three ‘action alerts’ set up to make it easy for you to send emails to your legislator on these bills. The one on HB 2534 is brand new, in advance of a public hearing on Tuesday, March 24. The three action alerts are:

Cap and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Pollution – Supporter SB 80 and HB 2186

Stopping LNG terminals and pipelines – Support HB 2015

Pass the Oregon Environmental Quality Act – Yes on HB 2534

Please consider sending an email to your Rep. and the House Environment and Water Committee in support of HB 2534 in advance of the Tuesday hearing.

Senate Passes Historic Protection for Wilderness

The Senate voted today to safeguard millions of acres of new wilderness, protect hundreds of miles of rivers, expand trails, and protect critical habitat in Wyoming from oil and gas leasing. This is the bill’s last stop in the Senate, with final passage in the House of Representatives expected to come next week.

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (H.R. 146 – formerly S. 22) passed on a vote of 77 to 20. The bill protects more than two million acres of wilderness in eight states, including the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Oregon’s Mt. Hood, and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

“This is the biggest wilderness protection bill in decades,” said Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope. “Today, Congress has helped ensure that we will have a wild legacy to pass on to our children and grandchildren. This bill helps guarantee that future generations will be able to hike in pristine forests from California to West Virginia. They’ll be able to fish America’s untouched rivers, watch antelope migrate through Wyoming, and take their families camping in the stunning Rocky Mountains.”

In addition to safeguarding new wilderness, the bill finalizes the 26-million-acre National Landscape Conservation System, protects hundreds of miles of free-flowing rivers in six states, and designates numerous new National Scenic Trails, Natural Historic Sites, and National Heritage Areas across the United States. It also shelters over a million acres of key hunting and fishing grounds on the Wyoming Range from oil and gas drilling.

“Wilderness, rivers, trails and parks support important tourist economies across the country,” said Pope. “This legislation will protect the tourist dollars and jobs that outdoor recreation generates by keeping our last, best places safe from unchecked industrial development.”

Overview of the Omnibus Lands Package:

-The bill codifies and adds permanence to the National Landscape Conservation System, which includes all of the Clinton/Babbitt-era national monuments, wilderness study areas, and other protective designations, encompassing more than 26 million acres.

-The bill will protect more than 1 million acres of the Wyoming Range from oil and gas development.

-The bill also includes the Forest Landscape Restoration Act and the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act.

-The package includes five important ocean protections: 1. NOAA Undersea Research Program Act, 2. The Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act, 3. The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act, 4. The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act, and 5. The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.

-Wilderness Protection includes: 1. Wild Monongahela Wilderness – WV 2. Virginia Ridge and Valley Wilderness – VA 3. Mt. Hood Wilderness – OR 4. Copper Salmon Wilderness – OR 5. Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (Includes Soda Mt. Wilderness) – OR 6. Owyhee Public Land Management – ID 7. Sabinoso Wilderness – NM 8. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Wilderness – MI 9. Oregon Badlands Wilderness – OR 10. Spring Basin Wilderness – OR 11. Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wilderness – CA 12. Riverside County Wilderness – CA 13. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness – CA 14. Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness – CO 15. Washington County – UT

Take Action: Pass the Public Lands Bill

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which would protect more than 2 million acres of wilderness, was defeated by just two votes in the House. But we have another chance! Both the Senate and the House will vote again on the bill.

The Senate is expected to vote today. Please call your senator and urge them to vote for the Omnibus Public Lands Bill! Tell your senator a green future depends upon our ability to protect our America’s natural heritage and our most precious places.

Liquefied Natural Gas, the Palomar Pipeline, and why they aren’t right for Oregon

Please join us for a presentation and discussion of Liquefied Natural Gas, the Palomar Pipeline, and why they aren’t right for Oregon.

 

Thursday, March 19th

Refreshments begin at 6:30, and the presentation starts at 7pm.

Sierra Club Office, 1821 SE Ankeny St., Portland, OR 97214

 

Energy speculators from New York, Texas and California have descended on Oregon with plans for three massive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) port and storage terminals. Two LNG terminal ports are proposed for the lower Columbia River and one is planned for Coos Bay.  Each of these terminals would include over 220 miles of high-pressure gas pipelines that would rip across sensitive wildlife habitats in Coos Bay and the Columbia Estuary, across thousands of Oregonian’s family farms and forestlands, and through important forest habitats including Mt. Hood. Numerous state agencies from Oregon DEQ to ODFW have raised serious concerns about the project’s impacts, and a diverse coalition of conservationists, farmers, commercial and sport fisherman, business leaders, private property rights advocates, Native Americans are opposing one or more of these projects.

Take Action: Tell Congress to Repower America with Renewable Energy

Last month, President Obama’s economic recovery plan took the first step toward repowering America with renewable energy by providing critical investments for clean energy. Now we need a national commitment to renewable energy that will continue to rebuild our economy and help fight global warming.

The American Renewable Energy Act (H.R. 890) will require utilities to generate 25 percent of their electricity from wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources. This will create jobs, save consumers money, and reduce global warming pollution. Congress is moving fast to put together climate and energy legislation. Make sure this critical policy is included by asking your representative to cosponsor the American Renewable Energy Act today.

Ask your representative to cosponsor the American Renewable Energy Act today!

We need your help now to designate new Wilderness in Oregon!

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act, may come up for a vote tomorrow in the House of Representatives. We expect the bill to be brought up under suspension meaning we need a two-thirds majority – or 290 votes – to win. We need your help now!

This bill will protect more than 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states. In Oregon, 202,000 acres of wildernesswould be designated on Mt. Hood, Badlands, Spring Basin, Copper Salmon and in Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (which would also see a grazing permit buyout), and there would be additions to the Oregon Caves National Monument. Other provisions would designate ten new National Heritage Areas, protect hundreds of miles of free-flowing rivers in six states, establish a 26-million-acre national conservation system, and protect over a million acres of Wyoming for hunting and fishing. This would be the greatest expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 15 years.

Please call your Representative and tell him to vote Yes on S. 22. -The Omnibus Public Land Management Act!

LNG Public Protection Act Introduced!

The LNG Public Protection Act, HB 2015, has been introduced. Click here to send an email to your legislator.

This bill would protect Oregon from the multiple LNG terminals and hundreds of miles of pipelines that threaten Oregon’s rivers and streams, farmland, and forests.  Find our more information on the threats that LNG poses to Oregon here.