Obama Signs Public Lands Protection Bill Into Law

The measure protects two million acres of wilderness in nine states and a thousand miles of rivers, a 50 percent increase in the wild and scenic river system. It establishes new national trails, national parks and a new national monument and provides legal status for the National Landscape Conservation System, which will protect some of the country's most spectacular landscapes.

"As Americans, we possess few blessings greater than the vast and varied landscapes that stretch the breadth of our continent," said President Obama. "Our lands have always provided great bounty - food and shelter for the first Americans, for settlers and pioneers; the raw materials that grew our industry; the energy that powers our economy."

"What these gifts require in return is our wise and responsible stewardship," he said.

Obama quoted President Teddy Roosevelt, who nearly 100 years ago said, "I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us."

After signing the public lands bill, President Barack Obama shakes hands with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, far left, applauds. (Photo courtesy The White House)

"That's the spirit behind the bipartisan legislation I'm signing today," President Obama said, "legislation among the most important in decades to protect, preserve, and pass down our nation's most treasured landscapes to future generations."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at the signing ceremony, "Over the last two centuries, America's best ideas for protecting our vast lands and open spaces have often arrived while our country has faced its greatest trials."

"It was in the midst of our nation's bloodiest conflict – the Civil War – that President Abraham Lincoln set aside the lands that are now Yosemite National Park," Salazar said.

"It was at the dawn of the 20th century, with our cities and industries growing and our open lands and watersheds disappearing, that President Teddy Roosevelt expanded our national parks and set aside the world's largest system of lands dedicated to wildlife conservation, the national wildlife refuge system," he said.

"And it was in the darkest days of the Great Depression that President Franklin Roosevelt put three million young Americans to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps. They built the trails, campgrounds, parks, and conservation projects we enjoy today," said the interior secretary.

"In these moments when our national character is most tested, we rightly seek to protect that which fuels our spirit," Salazar said. "For America's national character - our optimism, our dreams, our shared stories – are rooted in our landscapes."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at the signing ceremony, "Today is a great day for all who care about our beautiful country and its pristine natural heritage."

"This landmark legislation will conserve public lands for future generations and includes numerous water-related provisions that will help manage drought, particularly in the West, improve aging infrastructure, recharge groundwater supplies, and promote the reuse and recycling of water," she said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said, "I took great pleasure in watching President Obama sign this legislation that is so important to Nevada into law. From strengthening economic development to helping people suffering from cancer, the bill the president signed today will help communities across the state."

Part of the giant package of 164 separate bills now signed into law, The Nevada Cancer Institute Expansion Act will provide 80 acres of land to the Nevada Cancer Institute. The non-profit Nevada Cancer Institute will use the parcel to build a facility devoted to developing new treatments for Nevadans afflicted with cancer.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.