NOLS Rocks the House

The U.S. House of Representatives, that is. NOLS staff took time out of their busy lives this week to participate in the Wyoming Range Call-A-Thon, phoning alumni in key congressional districts to build support for the Omnibus Public Lands Act. Over 450 alumni in 12 key congressional districts were called and asked to contact their Congressional Representatives in support of the bill. The Public Policy department predicts that Representatives could be hearing from 10 to 20 NOLS graduates in each district.

The Omnibus Public Lands Act designates more than 2,000,000 acres of new Wilderness on Federal Lands, creates more that 1,000 new miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, and withdraws 1,200,000 acres from oil and gas development in the Wyoming Range, a crucial NOLS classroom.

Two weeks ago, supporters’ hopes were dashed as the Act fell two votes shy of the 2/3 majority required to move it swiftly out of the House and place it on the President’s desk. This week, the U.S. Senate pass a different version of the bill that would be more amenable to the U.S. House.

NOLS and other supporters of the legislation hope that constituent calls to moderate Democrats and Republicans can gain additional votes before the revised bill is reconsidered, which could be as soon as March 25 or 26.

photo courtesy Gary Amerine