The New Mexico senator and nine colleagues say the review could weaken protections for lands with wilderness characteristics and undermine Congress’ role in future designations

Organ Mountain News report

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is leading a group of 10 senators opposing an Interior Department review of wilderness management policies that they say could weaken protections for public lands.

Heinrich, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent the letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with Sens. Adam Schiff, Alex Padilla, John Hickenlooper, Michael Bennet, Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Catherine Cortez Masto, Ben Ray Luján and Jacky Rosen.

The lawmakers said the review could affect lands with wilderness characteristics, wilderness study areas and designated wilderness areas and could make some lands ineligible for future wilderness designation by Congress.

They said nearly 200 million acres of public land could be affected.

“Lands with wilderness characteristics, wilderness study areas, and designated wilderness areas protect millions of acres of intact habitat, watersheds, ecological and cultural resources, scenic and backcountry values,” the senators wrote.

Under the Wilderness Act of 1964, Congress has the authority to designate wilderness areas or release lands for other uses. Federal agencies can identify lands with wilderness characteristics and manage them while Congress considers their status.

The senators argued that Interior’s review could weaken those protections before Congress has acted.

“It is atypical for the Interior Department to conduct land management planning by asking for comment on its agencies’ general operating procedures,” the lawmakers wrote.

They also criticized the department for opening multiple comment periods covering wilderness policies across several federal land-management agencies.

The senators asked Interior to preserve what they described as the existing non-impairment standard for lands that could qualify for future wilderness designation.

Heinrich and the other senators said the department should consider the federal government’s 60-year history of wilderness management before making policy changes.