Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Annie Kuster (NH-02) voted in favor of the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, which permanently safeguards approximately 1.5 million acres of wilderness in the American West, including areas around the Grand Canyon. This legislation will also add over 1,200 miles of waterway into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS).

“Conserving our natural resources and scenic places is a way of life for Granite Staters,” said Rep. Kuster. “We treasure our parks and wilderness both in New Hampshire and across the country. As President Biden sets the goal for the United States to protect 30% of our land and water by 2030, I’m proud to say we have already conserved just over 30% of the land in our state. While that work continues, this bill is an important step toward meeting the President’s goal nationwide. It conserves critical land while also addressing environmental justice and encouraging our outdoor recreation economy—a win-win all the way around. I urge the Senate to join us in passing this legislation.”

A champion of environmental conservation and stewardship, Rep. Kuster helped introduce the Great American Outdoors Act, which ultimately became law. That legislation provided full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for the first time in the program’s 56 year history. In the 116^th Congress, Rep. Kuster unveiled her Clean Energy Agenda, which includes legislation to permanently reauthorize funding for LWCF, address climate change, and transition to a clean energy economy. She has also introduced bills to help preserve national scenic trails and conservation land protected by local governments and nonprofit organizations against natural gas pipeline development. In 2019, Kuster helped enact policy to designate key portions of the Nashua River into NWSRS as part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. 

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