Udall's Valle Vidal Bill Now Prime for Full House Vote

UDALL'S VALLE VIDAL BILL NOW PRIME FOR FULL HOUSE VOTE

The Valle Vidal Protection Act of 2005 cleared another major hurdle today, passing the House Committee on Resources, and is now ready for a vote by the full House, bill sponsor U.S. Representative Tom Udall, D-N.M., announced today.

Udall, who has long served on the House Resources Committee, said "Protecting the Valle Vidal means preserving for New Mexico and the nation a land rich in history and culture and abundant in wildlife. America's earliest inhabitants -- Pueblo cultures, Spanish settlers and extensive populations of wildlife -- have made their homes there and I believe we have a responsibility to protect it for future generations."

H.R. 3817 was introduced by Udall on September 15, 2005 and seeks to protect the 102,000-acre Valle Vidal area of the Carson National Forest from energy and mineral extraction and development.

The Valle Vidal tract was donated to the Forest Service in 1982 by Pennzoil Co., which never allowed drilling in the area.

Udall noted that today's passage marks continued progress in accomplishing protective status and concluded, "This is a huge step forward in the process to protect one of New Mexico's most precious gems. Thanks to the strong voices and support of numerous New Mexicans, the U.S. House of Representatives is one step closer to protecting what the Pueblo Indians and Spanish founders referred to as ‘The Valley of Life'."

http://www.tomudall.house.gov/issues2.cfm?id=11995