Today, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a legislative hearing on six bills addressing important land issues in local communities. Subcommittee Chairman Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) issued the following statement in response:

"Local land managers are the best stewards of the land, and the Subcommittee on Federal Lands has worked tirelessly to ensure the perspectives of rural communities are included in both the decision-making process and the subsequent management of our federal lands. Today’s bills continue ensuring local communities are not sidelined by the federal government."

Background

H.R. 390, the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Enhancement Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), expands the boundaries of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area (NHA) to include all of Saratoga and Washington counties. 

H.R. 3971, the Flatside Wilderness Additions Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), adds four parcels of Ouachita National Forest land to the Flatside Wilderness. The bill also redesignates the area as the Flatside-Bethune Wilderness. 

H.R. 6843, introduced by U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), expands the boundaries of the Atchafalaya NHA to include Lafourche Parish, La. 

H.R. 8206, introduced by U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), protects the Big Cypress Preserve from designation as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The legislation ensures the continuation of outdoor recreation access, protects the traditions of Miccosukee and Seminole tribes, and advances ongoing conservation goals.

H.R. 8219, the Lahaina National Heritage Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), directs the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with state and local partners, to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Lahaina as an NHA. 

H.R. 6826, introduced by U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), designates the visitor and education center at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine as the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor and Education Center.

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