FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Senate to address public lands legislation in a lame duck session

Environment and Energy Daily (DC), By Noelle Straub and Ben Geman

An omnibus package of more than 150 public lands, water and resources bills will finally see action on the Senate floor in a lame-duck session on or around Nov. 17, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced last night.

The measure has been held up by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who objects to about 100 of the bills because they would put some public lands off-limits to development or, he says, cost the government money.

Reid made the announcement on the Senate floor in between votes on the Wall Street rescue bill.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said last night the lands package is ready to be considered and it is strictly a question of timing.

"It is very important getting it done, and obviously getting it done this year is much to be desired," Bingaman said. "There is a lot of very good legislation in there that matters to a lot of members, both Democrats and Republicans. It does not cost the federal budget any money but it puts in place a lot of important legislative proposals."

Bingaman and Reid have tried to negotiate with Coburn on the package, but he has vowed to continue objecting.

"I'm not working with anybody," Coburn said earlier this week. "If they want to clean it up and put the bills that don't spend billions of dollars and don't take millions of acres out of exploration for natural resources, I'm happy to talk with them. Otherwise they'll have to roll me" (E&E Daily, Sept. 30).

Bingaman has said he has the 60 votes it would take to override Coburn's hold. But with a slew of other priorities, Senate leaders ran out of time before leaving town for the elections to file a cloture motion to limit debate, wait the necessary days to hold a vote and coordinate with the House.

Bingaman's measure, introduced Friday, combines a package of 53 bills passed by unanimous voice vote out of committee last month to a 96-bill omnibus package from the committee that was already awaiting consideration on the floor. Combined, the different bills in the omnibus would create more than a million acres of wilderness while authorizing dozens of studies for potential parks, protected rivers and historical landmarks.

Potentially controversial measures included in the package are bills that would make the 26-million-acre National Landscape Conservation System permanent and allow construction of a road through Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

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