WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01), a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, led 43 Members of Congress to reintroduce the America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act.

The legislation protects more than eight million acres of land in Utah that is rich in cultural resources, includes lands considered sacred to Indigenous people, and is home to numerous rare plant and animal species. The landscapes also serve as the access point for many national parks and offer unparalleled research, educational, and recreational opportunities for scientists, educators, outdoor enthusiasts, and American families.

“I am proud to introduce legislation protecting some of America’s most iconic landscapes, the Red Rocks Wilderness,” said Rep. Stansbury, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “Protecting these incredible landscapes will help fulfill our trust and treaty obligations to Tribes, fight climate change, and protect our precious Colorado River and its tributaries. This wilderness designation will protect one of the most beautiful places in America, while supporting local communities and economies, for generations to come.”

The Bureau of Land Management has confirmed the vast majority of the lands covered by the bill meet the qualifications for wilderness designation. The lands in America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act were selected through meticulous inventories conducted by volunteers with the Utah Wilderness Coalition.

However, as long as they are formally unprotected, the lands remain threatened by oil, gas, and tar sands development, and other activities. Designating these lands as wilderness would safeguard Tribal cultural resources and protect wildlife, the Colorado River watershed, help mitigate climate change, and accommodate future generations of outdoor enthusiasts.

In the Senate, the legislation is led by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.).

Signing onto the legislation as original cosponsors are Representatives Jamie Raskin (Md.-08), David Trone (Md.-06), Cori Bush (Mo.-01), Rashida Talib (Mich.-12), Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.-13), Stephen F. Lynch (Mass.-08), Diana DeGette (Colo.-01), Gerald E. Connolly (Va.-11), Adam Schiff (Calif.-30), Earl Blumenauer (Ore.-03), Mark Takano (Calif.-39), Jim McGovern (Mass.-02), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.-07), Grace Napolitano (Calif.-31), Brendan Boyle (Pa.-02), Mark Pocan (Wisc.-02), Haley Stevens (Mich.-11), Suzanne Bonamici (Ore.-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.-AL), Grace Meng (N.Y.-06), Lloyd Doggett (Texas-37), Betty McCollum (Minn-04), Emanuel Cleaver (Mo.-05), Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.-08), Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.-12), Brad Schneider (Ill.-10), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.-14), Angie Craig (Minn.-02), Katie Porter (Calif.-47), Bill Pascrell (N.J.-09), Gregory Meeks (N.Y.-05), Suzan K. DelBene (Wash.-01), Nikki Budzinski (Ill.-13), Judy Chu (Calif.-28), Dean Phillips (Minn.-03), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.-12), Ilhan Omar (Minn.-05), Mike Thompson (Calif.-04), Ro Khanna (Calif.-17), Seth Moulton (Mass.-06), Steve Cohen (Tenn.-09), Chellie Pingree (Maine-01), and Derek Kilmer (Wash.-06).

The bill is also supported by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Wasatch Mountain Club, and more than 200 other national and regional conservation organizations belonging to the Utah Wilderness Coalition.

The full text of the legislation is available here.