Long title | An act to designate certain land as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. |
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Enacted by | the 111th United States Congress |
Effective | March 30, 2009 |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub.L. 111–11 |
Statutes at Large | (pending) |
Codification | |
Acts amended | Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, National Trails System Act, Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, and others; see below |
Titles amended | 5, 36, 40 |
Legislative history | |
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The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Pub.L. 111–11, H.R. 146) is a law passed in the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009. The bill designates millions of acres in the US as protected and establishes a National Landscape Conservation System. It includes funding for programs, studies and other activities by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and in some cases bars further geothermal leasing, oil and gas leasing, and new mining patents on certain stretches of protected land.
On June 26, 2008, Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico introduced the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2008 (S. 3213). Although the bill had some support from both Democrats and Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate never voted on the measure due to threats by Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) to filibuster the bill.
On January 7, 2009, Bingaman introduced the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S. 22), a new bill which incorporated 159 bills that had been considered by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources during the 110th Congress and, in some cases, earlier Congresses. Despite vehement opposition from Coburn and some other Republicans, the Senate passed a cloture motion on January 11 by a vote of 66–12 and then passed the bill on January 15 by a vote of 73–21, with four members not voting.