Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2016

Floor Speech

Mr. Chairman, today I am pleased to rise in support of the National Landscape Conservation System Act. This bipartisan legislation, supported by the National Wildlife Federation, EarthJustice, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club and more, would officially establish America's newest conservation system. With 26 million acres of land under its jurisdiction, the National Landscape Conservation System, NLCS, protects our nation's crown jewels.

From the Lewis and Clarke National Historic Trail to Nevada's Red Rock Canyon, this legislation works to conserve the fabric of the West. In 2000, the Secretary of the Interior established the National Landscape Conservation System to protect the best of the lands and waters managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This bill provides statutory recognition of the existing National Landscape Conservation System as well as its permanent establishment as a land conservation system equivalent to that of the National Park Service. At no cost to the taxpayer, Congress has the opportunity to protect these lands for millions of Americans for generations to come.

Nothing in this legislation changes the way in which NLCS lands are currently administered, including hunting and recreation management. H.R. 2016 adds no land to NCLS, nor does it contain any provisions diminishing private property rights. Following in Theodore Roosevelt's footsteps, I strongly encourage my colleagues to join me in passing this landmark legislation.

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