Scenic Hudson Commends Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Delgado for Support for Public Lands Bill
Ned Sullivan
President, Scenic Hudson
Cell: (914) 489-4630
nsullivan@scenichudson.org
Provides funding to protect over 2 million acres, including scenic buffer adjacent to FDR National Historic Site
HUDSON VALLEY—Scenic Hudson today praised Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Antonio Delgado for their roles in passage of the Public Lands Bill. The most sweeping conservation legislation in a decade, the bill will protect more than two million acres of federal land and hundreds of miles of wild rivers. It also permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, established in 1964 to protect natural and water resources, and calls for the establishment of four new national monuments.
The Senate passed the Public Lands Bill 92 to 8 on February 12 and the House 363 to 62 on February 26. The White House is expected to sign it.
Sen. Gillibrand, along with Maine Sen. Angus King, played a critical role in ensuring that the bill included a provision enabling the National Park Service to acquire 90 acres originally protected by Scenic Hudson that are located adjacent to the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park. This land provides a scenic gateway to one of the Hudson Valley’s most popular tourism destinations. Rep. Antonio Delgado supported inclusion of this provision in the House bill.
Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan said, “During his presidency, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, ‘All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River.’ The leadership of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Angus King and Rep. Antonio Delgado will enable thousands of future visitors to the Roosevelt National Historic site to experience the beauty of the Hudson that so inspired FDR. We thank these leaders for helping secure the authorization and funding that will allow the National Park Service to assume ownership and stewardship of 90 acres immediately adjacent to the historic site currently owned by Scenic Hudson. This land benefits the region, visitors and America. It is an irreplaceable scenic buffer to one of our country’s most important historic assets.”
Sullivan continued, “We are pleased that overwhelming bipartisan support for passage of the Public Lands Bill, which included the provision relating to the transfer of the property to the National Park Service, demonstrates public and Congressional consensus that our nation’s natural treasures are outstanding opportunities for connecting Americans with their heritage, outdoor recreation, diverse cultures and tourism.”
About Scenic Hudson
Scenic Hudson preserves land and farms and creates parks that connect people with the inspirational power of the Hudson River, while fighting threats to the river and natural resources that are the foundation of the valley’s prosperity.
