Video of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich speaking to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Courtesy video
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a markup in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich’s (D-N.M.) M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act passed out of committee with bipartisan support.
The legislation now must be considered by the full Senate.
Sen. Heinrich’s legislation would designate portions of the Gila River, its watershed and other rivers in the Gila National Forest as Wild and Scenic Rivers. The legislation will be a boon to New Mexico’s outdoor economy, while protecting an irreplaceable natural resource for future generations of New Mexicans.
Sen. Heinrich expressed to the full committee that community support for this legislation “builds on work that goes back to 1974 when Wild and Scenic was first proposed” and is “the result of years of negotiations and advocacy ever since then.”
Sen. Heinrich originally introduced the legislation with former U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) in 2020. Sen. Heinrich reintroduced the legislation this Congress with U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).
Background:
