Heinrich Leads Effort to Reject Anti-Public Lands Policies in Appropriations Bills

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee, led a letter alongside 19 of his Senate colleagues urging Senate leadership to reject all anti-public lands “poison pill” provisions in the final agreement on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

 

The 20 senators addressed their letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who are working to finalize agreements with their counterparts in the U.S. House of Representatives on FY2024 appropriations bills.

 

The senators wrote, “The Interior appropriations bill should not be turned into a vehicle for policies that weaken protections for public lands and waters and make it harder for families to enjoy the outdoors.”

 

The senators continued, “The House Republican bill includes a number of provisions that are antithetical to the broad, bipartisan support for clean water, outdoor recreation, and public land conservation in our states. These provisions would overturn protections for public lands, risk invaluable fish and wildlife habitat, and threaten lands and waters where our constituents love to climb, hunt, paddle, and camp."

 

The senators concluded, “As we conclude the critically important work of keeping the federal government funded and open to serve our constituents, we urge you to keep the Interior bill free of controversial anti-public lands riders.”

 

The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

 

 

Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Chair Murray, and Chairman Merkley:

 

Thank you for your diligent work to complete the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills. In finalizing the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, we urge you to stand firm in rejecting anti-public lands poison pills in any final agreement.

 

The House Republican bill includes a number of provisions that are antithetical to the broad, bipartisan support for clean water, outdoor recreation, and public land conservation in our states. These provisions would overturn protections for public lands, risk invaluable fish and wildlife habitat, and threaten lands and waters where our constituents love to climb, hunt, paddle, and camp. The Interior appropriations bill should not be turned into a vehicle for policies that weaken protections for public lands and waters and make it harder for families to enjoy the outdoors.

 

Throughout the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, your commitment, along with Ranking Member Collins, to resist poison pill riders has led to a historically bipartisan process. As we conclude the critically important work of keeping the federal government funded and open to serve our constituents, we urge you to keep the Interior bill free of controversial anti-public lands riders.

 

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

 

Sincerely,