Heinrich Legislation To Designate Gila River As Wild & Scenic Passes Committee With Bipartisan Support
WASHINGTON - Today, during a markup in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich’s (D-N.M.) M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act passed out of committee with bipartisan support. The legislation now must be considered by the full Senate.
Senator Heinrich’s legislation would designate portions of the Gila River, its watershed and other rivers in the Gila National Forest as Wild and Scenic Rivers. The legislation will be a boon to New Mexico’s outdoor economy, while protecting an irreplaceable natural resource for future generations of New Mexicans.
Senator Heinrich expressed to the full committee today that community support for this legislation “builds on work that goes back to 1974 when Wild and Scenic was first proposed” and is “the result of years of negotiations and advocacy ever since then.”
Senator Heinrich originally introduced the legislation with former U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) in 2020. Senator Heinrich reintroduced the legislation this Congress with U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).
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