WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump signed a sweeping public lands bill into law Tuesday. The legislation includes protections for thousands of acres of Oregon wilderness.
Senate Bill 47 passed with bi-partisan support through both the House and Senate before landing on Trump’s desk.
The measure protects over one million acres as “wilderness,” the nation’s highest protection for federal lands. 30,000 of those acres are in the Oregon Coast Range, now designated as the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness.
There are also protections for the Chetco River, 180 miles of Rogue River tributaries, 18 miles of Jenny Creek in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, and numerous other Oregon waterways.
“Conserving our state’s iconic Devil’s Staircase, adding hundreds of miles of wild-and-scenic rivers, increasing wildfire protections and more totals up to a big win for Oregon’s recreation economy,” Senator Ron Wyden (D) said after the White House signing ceremony. “This is the largest public lands package passed by Congress in a decade and I look forward to building on its gains for every corner of our state.”
Representative Greg Walden (R) said “I want to thank Senators Wyden and Merkley for their efforts to get this bipartisan bill across the finish line in the Senate. This action is long overdue, and I applaud President Trump for signing this commonsense legislation into law for the entire community.”
The legislation also includes language to help prepare the community of Crooked River Ranch in Central Oregon from the effects of a potentially catastrophic wildfire.
Oregon isn’t the only state affected. SB 47 protects 1.3 million acres across the country and authorizes a program to spend offshore oil drilling revenue on conservation efforts.
You can read the entire 622 page bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/47/text
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