President Trump Signs Sweeping Lands Package into Law
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today commended President Donald J. Trump for signing S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, formerly known as the Natural Resources Management Act, into law. The bipartisan legislation contains more than 120 public lands, resources, sportsmen, conservation, and water management bills. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 92 to 8 on February 12, and the House passed it on February 26 by a vote of 363 to 62.
“I thank President Trump for signing our lands package into law. His effort to achieve energy dominance for our nation while simultaneously working with us to create a conservation legacy with this lands package exceeds the accomplishments of his recent predecessors,” Murkowski said. “This law will benefit every state and clear the deck of issues that we’ve been working to resolve for years. From providing access for sportsmen to creating new economic opportunities for local communities, this is a good, balanced measure. We built it through a team effort that drew strong support from both parties in both chambers. Today is a triumph for good process and good policy, and this bill is a win for Alaskans and all Americans.”
Background Information
Murkowski and former Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., introduced S. 47 in January 2019. Current Ranking Member Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and 13 other Senators are cosponsors. Murkowski and Cantwell negotiated the package in the 115th Congress with then-Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and then-Ranking Member Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., of the House Committee on Natural Resources. The vast majority of bills within it underwent extensive public process and review in the House, the Senate, or both.
S. 47 contains provisions sponsored by 50 Senators and cosponsored by nearly 90 Senators in the 115th Congress. Those include measures to:
- Permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, with key reforms to strengthen its state-side program;
- Increase access and opportunities for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities on federal lands;
- Provide for economic development in dozens of communities through land exchanges and conveyances;
- Improve western water management by increasing local control, promoting investment, and facilitating the recovery of endangered species; and
- Conserve treasured landscapes in communities, where such designations are locally supported.
Murkowski is chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
