Middleboro Review et al

EDWARD J. MARKEY   MASSACHUSETTS                                                                       255 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20510 (202) 224-2742                                           United States Senate January 24, 2018   Thank you for contacting me about the proposed amendment to the Wilderness Act to allow bicycles and other mechanization in the National Wilderness Preservation System. It was good to hear from you about this important issue. On December 13 th , 2017, the House Natural Resources Committee voted 22-18 to move to the House floor a bill,...

Last month we alerted you to a House Natural Resources Committee markup on a bill—H.R. 1349—that would amend the Wilderness Act to allow bikes and other machines in every unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System. As you may know, the Committee passed the bill on December 13 (it failed 15-19 on the first vote, but passed 22-18 on a second vote that day when more Republicans were present).The result is not unexpected from such a stridently anti-wilderness committee.  In the mean time, Wilderness Watch continues to work to defeat this bill. A Wilderness Watch op-ed,  “Bikes-in-Wilderness bill advances on falsehoods and distortions”  has run in several states and an  LA Times editorial  sounding a similar beat has been picked up by papers around the country. And, you and our other supporters have sent Congress close to 28,000 letters opposing this bill. The work that all of us are doing in mounting opposition to the bill is paying off,...