Valle Vidal Protected - FINALLY

SENATE PASSES VALLE VIDAL PROTECTION ACT. SENDS MEASURE TO WHITE HOUSE
Passage Sealed with Domenici-Bingaman Pact to Move House Bill
WASHINGTON – Just hours after U.S. Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman announced their agreement to push for Senate passage of the Valle Vidal Protection Act (HR.3817), the Senate passed the measure to add new protections for almost 102,000 acres of U.S. Forest land in northeast New Mexico. The Senate approved HR.3817 Thursday night by unanimous consent, following work by Domenici and Bingaman—the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee—to gain clearance to move the House-passed bill in the Senate without a committee hearing. The bill now goes to President Bush for his consideration. “I am happy and surprised that things fell into place so quickly for this bill. I am confident the President will sign this bill so that the Valle Vidal will continue to be a virtually unblemished piece of New Mexico for people to enjoy for generations to come,” Domenici said. “This is terrific news. The Valle Vidal is a beautiful part of New Mexico that deserves to be protected. I’m very glad we able to get Senate support for this bill so that we could send it to the president,” Bingaman said. HR.3817, like legislation introduced by Bingaman (S.1734), would prohibit energy or mineral development on the 101,794 acres that comprise the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest in New Mexico. HR.3817 was introduced by Representative Tom Udall and cosponsored by Congresswoman Heather Wilson. The Valle Vidal is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The property was transferred to the federal government by the Penzoil Co. in 1982. While natural gas production occurs on the adjacent Vermejo Ranch, energy production has not ever occurred on the Valle Vidal. Until today, Domenici, as chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, had reserved his outright support for the Valle Vidal legislation as he worked to promote other energy production proposals around the nation. “I have been concerned about being perceived as pushing for or even forcing energy production in other states while saying ‘not in my backyard’ in New Mexico,” he said earlier Thursday in announcing his intent to push for passage of HR.3817.
- from the New Mexico Wilderness Society