Frozen out: plans to ringfence millions of acres of federal land
Wilderness act falls at final hurdle
A bill which would have set aside more than 2 million acres in nine US states as protected wilderness, effectively blocking exploration and production work across vaste swathes of federal land, was defeated in a vote in Congress last night.
Majority Democrats agreed to amend the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 to take in an amendment sought by the National Rifle Association covering hunting, fishing or trapping on federal land.
Despite the compromise, the bill failed to garner the necessary two-thirds vote.
The measure - which has passed the Senate - received 282 yes and 144 no votes, leaving it two votes short under special rules requiring a super-majority.
Republicans complained that the bill - one of the largest expansions of wilderness protection in 25 years - would cost up to $10 billion and prevent E&P development on millions of acres of federal property.
Conservation groups and many lawmakers said the package, which combined more than 170 separate bills, would have preserved some of the US' remaining pristine landscapes, a claim denied by several Republicans.