NEXT WEEK: The House of Representatives Will Vote on the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act to Designate 1.3 Million Acres of Wilderness, New River Protections

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the House of Representatives will consider the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act, a bill that includes six previously individual measures that provide lasting protections for key public lands and waters in Colorado, California, and Washington.

The Protecting America’s Wilderness Act designates approximately 1.3 million acres of public land as wilderness and incorporates more than 1,000 river miles into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Advancing this package to the House floor is just one of many actions the Committee is taking to protect the integrity of our public lands and waters, promote outdoor recreation for all Americans, and enhance community resiliency to the impacts of the climate crisis.

Learn more about the Committee’s ongoing efforts to combat the climate crisis here. Additional information about the specific provisions included in the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act is available below.

Additional Information

Fact sheets

For a fact sheet on the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act, click here.

For a one-pager on wilderness designations, click here.

For a one-pager on the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, click here.

For a one-pager on Title I (H.R. 2546 – Rep. DeGette, D-CO), click here.

For a one-pager on Title II (H.R. 2250 – Rep. Huffman, D-CA), click here.

For a one-pager on Title III (H.R. 2199 – Rep. Carbajal, D-CA), click here.

For a one-pager on Title IV (H.R. 2215 – Rep. Chu, D-CA), click here.

For a one-pager on Title V (H.R. 1708 – Rep. Schiff, D-CA), click here.

For a one-pager on Title VI (H.R. 2642 – Rep. Kilmer, D-WA), click here.

Resources from Sponsoring Members

Title I (H.R. 2546) – Colorado Wilderness Act of 2020

Press Release: DeGette Unveils New Colorado Wilderness Protection Plan
Frequently Asked Questions and List of Proposed Designations
Overview Map: The Colorado Wilderness Act of 2019
Press Packet: Colorado Wilderness Act

Title II (H.R. 2250) – Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act

Frequently Asked Questions: Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act
Interactive Map of Proposed Designations
Press Release: Huffman Introduces Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act
Press Release: Harris Introduces Legislation to Preserve and Strengthen California’s Wilderness and Public Lands

Title III (H.R. 2199) – Central Coast Heritage Protection Act

A Full List of Supporting and Endorsing Organizations Can Be Found Here.
Press Release: Carbajal and Harris Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Protect California's Public Lands

Title IV (H.R. 2215) – San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act

Frequently Asked Questions: San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act
Press Release: Rep. Chu and Sen. Harris Introduce Legislation to Protect San Gabriel Mountains
Presidential Proclamation No. 9194 – Establishment of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument

Title V (H.R. 1708) – Rim of the Valley

Fact Sheet: Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act
Interactive Map of Proposed Boundary Expansion
Press Release: Schiff, Feinstein, Harris Introduce Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation

Title VI (H.R. 2642) – Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

A Full List of Supporters and Endorsing Organizations Can Be Found Here.
Map of Proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers and Map of Proposed Wilderness Designations
Frequently Asked Questions: Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Press Release: Wild Olympics Plan Unveiled – 126,000 Acres Proposed for Wilderness
Press Release: Senator Murray & Representative Kilmer Reintroduce Wild Olympics Bill with Groundswell of New Support form Peninsula Tribes, Mayors & Businesses

Additional Resources

Legislative Maps

To view maps for Title I, the Colorado Wilderness Act of 2020, click here.

To view maps for Title II, Northwest California, click here.

To view maps for Title III, the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, click here.

To view maps for Title IV, the San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Watershed Protection Act, click here.

To view maps for Title V, Rim of the Valley Unit, click here.

To view maps for Title VI, the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Scenic Rivers Act, click here.

Hearing Testimony

For Steve Bonowski Testimony on Title I (H.R. 2546), click here.

For Rep. Diana DeGette Written Testimony on Title I (H.R 2546), click here.

For Kent Collard Written Testimony on Title II (H.R. 2250), click here.

For Rep. Jared Huffman Written Testimony on Title II (H.R. 2250), click here.

For U.S. Forest Service Testimony on Title II (H.R. 2250), click here.

For Graciela Cabello Written Testimony on Title III (H.R. 2199), click here.

For Rep. Salud Carbajal Written Testimony on Title III (H.R. 2199), click here.

For David Diaz Written Testimony on Title IV (H.R. 2215), click here.

For Rep. Judy Chu Written Testimony on Title IV (H.R. 2215), click here.

For Laurene Weste Written Testimony on Title V (H.R. 1708), click here.

For Rep. Adam Schiff Written Testimony on Title V (H.R. 1708), click here.

For NPS Written Testimony on Title V (H.R. 1708), click here.

For Roy Nott Written Testimony on Title VI (H.R. 2642), click here.

For Rep. Derek Kilmer Written Testimony on Title VI (H.R. 2642), click here.

For Agency testimony on Titles I-VI and Title IV, click here.

Additional Documents

To view the National Guard Bureau HAATS Letter regarding Title I, click here.

To view the National Park Service San Gabriel Watershed and Mountains Special Resource Study for Title IV, click here.

To view the National Park Service Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study for Title V, click here.

Next Article Previous Article