Political Quotes

“this month America celebrates the 50th anniversary of both the Wilderness Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I am going to spend a few minutes today--and I believe I am going to be joined at various times by a number of colleagues--to talk about the important role these two storied pieces of legislation have played in creating a legacy of protection and access to America's treasures. First, people may not remember, perhaps given the way some in Congress talk about wilderness these days, but the Wilderness Act had an extraordinary bipartisan push behind it. It passed 73 to 12 in the Senate and 373 to 1 in the other body. Then congressional champions included leading Democrats and Republicans of that time. To celebrate the success of this landmark piece of legislation today--and it is the middle of Wilderness Week--I introduced a Senate Resolution, along with our colleague on the other side of the aisle, Senator Sessions, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act. Just like the original bill, our bipartisan resolution has numerous cosponsors and the support of our colleagues from both sides of the aisle. Part of the beauty of the Wilderness Act lies in the balance that was forged between immediately designating some places as wilderness in 1964 as part of the enactment, while providing a pathway for future designation.…”