Conservation America Updates

H.R. 4402, the so-called “National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2012,” a bill that streamlines the permitting process for mining on federal lands, passed the House by a vote of 256 to 160. 

At 5 pm today, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a package of bills that represent another direct attack on the Best of America: from Alaska’s ancient forests to the shores of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras, not to mention all public lands within 100 miles of the nation’s border. Environment America joins with conservation groups, sportsmen, Native American tribal organizations, businesses and Hispanic and immigration reform advocates to oppose H.R. 2578 the so-called “Conservation and Economic Growth Act.”

The Bureau of Land Management released a final Environmental Impact Statement today that marks another important step toward protecting the Grand Canyon from toxic mining. This document analyzes potential impacts of uranium mining on public lands within 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon. It is the culmination of 2 years of study and nearly 300,000 public comments in support of the Administration’s preferred alternative- withdrawing the full million acres of lands around the canyon from new mining claims for the next twenty years.

Today the Obama administration released a progress report on the America’s Great Outdoors initiative.  Through this campaign, the administration has worked to promote outdoor recreation and preserve America’s great lands.