WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation to create about 1.5 million acres of new wilderness. The bill passed Friday would also incorporate nearly 1,200 miles of waterways into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The votes on Friday comes as Democrats move to protect more public lands with President Joe Biden’s blessing. Biden has set a goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and ocean by 2030, a move that supporters say will help curb global warming while preserving some of the nation’s most scenic lands. Republicans said that the wilderness designations would hurt local economies and make the land more susceptible to forest fires.
