A PETITION TO PREVENT THE LARGEST ROLLBACK OF PUBLIC LAND PROTECTION IN WYOMING

On September 27, 2018, Representative Cheney introduced HR 6939, the poorly named “Restoring Local Input and Access to Public Lands Act.” This month the House Committee on Natural Resources voted to move HR 6939 forward on a 19-11 vote. The bill was drafted without a single public meeting and threatens over four million acres of wildland in Wyoming. The result would be the largest rollback of public land protection in Wyoming history, opening up BLM and National Forest roadless areas to drilling, mining, and off-road vehicles—all without a single hearing to take input from the public.

The legislation would:

• Strip protections from nearly 400,000 acres of Wilderness Study Areas that have been protected for decades, including crown jewel landscapes in the spectacular Red Desert like Adobe Town, the Honeycomb Buttes, and the Boar’s Tusk.
• Remove existing protections from 3.3 million acres of Forest Service roadless lands and 700,000 acres of wilderness-quality BLM lands.
• Overturn key pieces of environmental laws including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the National Roadless Rule.
• Prohibit the BLM and Forest Service from surveying for wilderness values on Wyoming public lands in the future.

HR 6939 would remove protections for wildlife habitat, impressive scenery, cultural resources, and recreational opportunities. Please support our effort to prevent this bill from moving any further in Congress. If you do not want this bill to become law, add your name to this petition, which we will send along with a list of signers to Congress in December.

Remember these lands belong to you, to all Americans. Future generations depend on our vigilance today to ensure their protections for tomorrow. Stop HR 6939- sign the petition! Once you have signed, share with your family and friends. Help us get 5,000 signatures by Monday, December 10!