Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has introduced legislation that would roll back existing protections for tens of millions of acres of unprotected wilderness-quality public lands and National Forests across America, including areas in the Bodie Hills. If passed, this legislation would open up some of our nation's most fragile natural landscapes to oil and gas development, road construction, uncontrolled off-road vehicle use, and other unchecked development.
H.R. 1581, the "Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act," would undermine decades of land protection in one fell swoop. The legislation would be more aptly named the "Great Outdoors Giveaway" because, if it is signed into law, tens of millions of acres of America's wild public lands will be open for industrial development. This includes the three Wilderness Study Areas in the Bodie Hills, which contain some of the largest concentrations of natural and cultural resources in the Great Basin.
The legislation would:
- Roll back protections for nearly 60 million acres of unroaded National Forests
- Strip existing protections for every BLM Wilderness Study Area and Forest Service Inventoried Roadless Area
- Undermine the National Forest Management Act and Federal and Land Policy and Management Act to manage lands for multiple use
- Undermine Congressional Authority
The bill has huge implications for the open lands in the Western U.S., including the Bodie Hills. Currently, there are many ways to recreate in and around Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) and Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRA) including: camping, hiking, mountain biking, dirt biking, 4-wheeling, hunting, fishing. This bill threatens access and opportunities for recreation, as it would release these natural areas from protection, opening them up to large-scale industry, changing the landscape forever, as well as any opportunities for land managers from even considering protection the wilderness qualities of federal lands.
The Forest Service and BLM, along with the public, play a vital roe in highlighting places that have wilderness values and protecting them temporarily for ongoing enjoyment and potentially permanent protection. The "Wilderness Elimination Act" would take this role away.
Learn more here, or look up your elected officials and send them a letter urging them to oppose H.R. 1581, the "Wilderness Elimination Act".
Keep track of the status of the bill in Congress here.