Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) have once again introduced legislation (H.R. 1187, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act) that would designate a massive 23 million acre area across five states (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming) as wilderness. This means each of these 23 million acres would be made permanently off-limits to motorized and mechanized recreation, including off-highway motorcycles, ATVs, ROVs (side-by-sides), 4x4s, snowmobiles and mountain bikes.  It is particularly important to note that the lead sponsor, Rep Maloney, represents Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn in New York City, yet has introduced legislation that would have an economic and social impact on millions of Americans who live, work and recreate on or near the lands in question.  In a particularly ironic twist, Representative Maloney and the other cosponsors will not accept emails from anyone who does not live in their districts.  So, these Members seek to force the most restrictive land management on millions of Americans, but will not listen to their concerns.

This sort of top-down legislation poisons the debate and makes meaningful collaboration at the local level more difficult.  Who wants to participate in complicated and time consuming collaborative processes when Members of Congress from thousands of miles away, and who have little understanding of the areas in question, introduce and pursue enactment of sweeping legislation that would make all of that hard work moot?

Click Take Action link below to send an email to your Representative in opposition to this egregious bill that would forever lock OHV use out of 23 million acres of public lands.

To take action, click here.