The Senate just passed the decade's biggest public lands package. Here's what's in it.
Source: Washington Post
The Senate Tuesday passed the most sweeping conservation legislation in a decade, protecting millions of acres of land and hundreds of miles of wild rivers across the country and establishing four new national monuments honoring heroes from Civil War soldiers to a civil rights icon. The 662-page measure, which passed 92 to 8, represented an old-fashioned approach to dealmaking that has largely disappeared on Capitol Hill. Senators from across the ideological spectrum celebrated home-state gains and congratulated each other for bridging the partisan divide. “It touches every state, features the input of a wide coalition of our colleagues, and has earned the support of a broad, diverse coalition of many advocates for public lands, economic development, and conservation," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky).
It’s a paradoxical win for conservation at a time when President Trump has promoted development on public lands and scaled back safeguards established by his predecessors. The bill, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will save taxpayers $9 million, enjoys broad support in the House.
The lower chamber is poised to take it up after the mid-February recess, and White House officials have indicated privately that the president will sign it. The measure protects 1.3 million acres as wilderness, the nation’s most stringent protection that prohibits even roads and motorized vehicles. It permanently withdraws more than 370,000 acres of land from mining around two national parks, including Yellowstone, and permanently authorizes a program to spend offshore drilling revenue on conservation efforts.
The package is crammed full of provisions for nearly every senator who cast a vote Tuesday. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) lauded the fact that it will create 273,000 acres of wilderness in his state, most of it within the boundaries of two national monuments that Trump threatened to shrink. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who co-authored it, inserted a provision that allows native Alaskans who served in Vietnam to apply for a land allotment in their home state.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/02/12/senate-just-passed-decades-biggest-public-lands-package-heres-whats-it/?utm_term=.68a0831b8a25
Totally speechless.
Original article and full title-
By Washington Post Staff
February 12 at 4:50 PM
The bill protects 1.3 million acres as wilderness, the nation's most stringent protection that prohibits even roads and motorized vehicles. It permanently withdraws from mining more than 370,000 acres of land around two national parks, including Yellowstone, and permanently authorizes a program to spend offshore drilling revenue on conservation efforts.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2019/02/12/the-senate-just-passed-the-most-sweeping-conservation-legislation-in-a-decade-protecting-millions-of-acres-of-land/?utm_term=.8c88fff29372
Have to find out some more info on this. Seemed to have flown under the radar.
EDIT - Vote just ended 92 - 8.
(as a side note they are now voting on cloture for the Barr nomination).
= new reply since forum marked as read
...Unless they passed it with enough to override. Am waiting for the rest of the story and the vote count.
Really? 92-8? What is going on over there? 
I doubt we could get 2/3 of the House, what with the Tea Party crazies, but if this is happening in the Senate, could things be changing?
it isn't April Fool's yet, is it?
Cruz voted Nay, meaning Cornyn voted Yay (all 100 Senators voted).
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142264731#post31
Whoda thunk it? Cornyn? ($$$$) 
Thank you!
You really DO have to push "from the bottom up" and with enough of that, sometimes you can overcome that stasis that the GOP is known for when it comes to the environment and public lands!
Veto proof vote
The GOP liked calling it "pork".
But then the one who made a name for himself as the most anti-earmark of them all (which is how I first stumbled upon him years ago watching the proceedings in the House, where he literally appeared at every single budget debate, complete with a list in hand) - Jeff Flake - has retired from the Senate so.....
Will have to see who the 8 "nays" were once the roll call is available.
Rand Paul - Dr. No himself - is one. And I also wouldn't be surprised if a teabagger like Mike Lee objected as well (especially considering the land in Utah that has already been set aside in the past).
You might also have someone like Bernie say no because "it doesn't go far enough"...
But we shall see!
I was thinking both Texans but withheld to find out if my thoughts were correct.
Toomey is just clueless (maybe it is a hunting thing).
Yeah, it makes me feel suspicious too.
Repugs doing something sensible, who'd a' thunk?
Wow. 
