Heinrich Ignores USFS Scientists and Experts, Continues to Push SB 776

Silver City, New Mexico (August 8, 2024) – The United States Forest Service (USFS) has recently released their updated Forest Plan Revision for the Gila National Forest, recommending 224 miles of new Wild and Scenic River designations. This recommendation stands in stark contrast to the 450 miles proposed by Senator Martin Heinrich in the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act (SB 776). The Heritage Waters Coalition (HWC) firmly opposes SB 776, asserting that Heinrich's disproportionate proposal caters to out-of-state environmental lobbies and donor classes, ignoring local voices and community concerns. This bill threatens to cause severe economic hardship for local communities reliant on these areas, with the senator's claims of tourism offsets being both baseless and misleading.

The financial burden of managing these newly designated areas would fall on the regional USFS, which currently lacks the budget to do so. Moreover, Heinrich's bill would create an unmanageable regulatory burden by establishing a patchwork of checkerboard river segments that the USFS will never be able to properly manage. HWC emphasizes that by disregarding the recommendations of the Biden-Harris Administration's own scientists and experts, Senator Heinrich's bill imposes undue hardship on both the regional USFS and local communities. HWC highlights that many of the areas proposed for designation are not free-flowing, as claimed, and are essential for local agricultural and economic activities, including farming, ranching, and mining. HWC calls for a balanced resolution that respects both community needs and ecological integrity, urging the U.S. House Natural Resource and U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committees to reject the passage of SB 776 as currently proposed.

For more information, please visit www.heritagewaters.org.

About the Heritage Waters Coalition:

The Heritage Waters Coalition is a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting land and water rights. Comprised of landowners, agricultural stakeholders, conservationists, and outdoor enthusiasts, the HWC is committed to ensuring the responsible management and use of America's precious water resources.

#