Political Quotes

“Mr. President, through the Wilderness Act of 1965, Congress reserves the authority to designate as Wilderness Areas certain Federal lands with remarkable natural and ecological values. Over the last 53 years, the Wilderness Act has been referred to as the gold standard of conservation, providing the highest level of protections for some of America's most treasured public lands. In addition to congressionally designated Wilderness Areas, the Wilderness Act gave the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to study and evaluate the wilderness characteristics of public lands under their respective jurisdictions. Once identified, the Forest Service manages lands with wilderness potential as an ``inventoried roadless area,'' and the Bureau of Land Management manages lands with wilderness potential as ``wilderness study areas.'' These designations are not always without controversy but are critical in providing a measure of interim protection for wilderness-quality lands while Congress deliberates on further, permanent protections. The Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act, which the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reported yesterday, adjusts the boundaries of the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area in Central Oregon, removing over 600 acres of land from interim protection under the Wilderness Act.…”