After working with Senate Committee Staff, the AMA has been informed that the bill contains multiple land designations that threaten to end responsible motorized recreation across the country. There is also an effort to include designations that have never been voted out of their relevant Committees and vast spending measures that are irrelevant to public land access.
This land grab is reminiscent of the 2009 closure of 2.1 million acres of public land to the American people. This legislation, as before, was created behind closed doors and without the transparent process new laws should have.
With such a short time frame for action, the best way to tell your Senators to oppose the new Omnibus Public Lands Bill is to call. Click here to get the phone number for your Senators. Enter your zip code in the "Find Your Officials" box and click on the name of your Senators.
Critical attention must be paid to the following Senators that have great influence over the future of this legislation. If you are a constituent of any of these Senators, please call them today and ask everyone you know to do the same: Senators McCain (AZ), Bennett (UT), Corker (TN), Brownback (KS), Voinovich (OH), Collins (ME), Snowe (ME), McConnell (KY), Kyl (AZ), Thune (SD), Barrasso (WY), Bunning (KY), Burr (NC), Risch (ID), Ensign (NV) and Sessions (AL).
The AMA previously sent a letter to Congressional leadership expressing concern that just such a bill would be created to push a unilateral agenda by the administration to close millions of acres of public land.