WASHINGTON, March 25 (UPI) -- Congress is on the verge of passing the most sweeping U.S. wilderness land protection law in 15 years, environmentalists say.
The U.S. House of Representatives was set to vote Wednesday on a bill that would declare more than 2 million acres of public land to be "wilderness" areas in which logging, mining and motorized vehicles would be banned, USA Today reported.
Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff told the newspaper passage of the measure is "fairly likely," adding that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar planned to be at the Capitol Wednesday to celebrate the event. U.S. President Barack Obama would then sign the bill into law.
"We're likely to see new wilderness legislation for years to come," Paul Spitler of the Wilderness Society told USA Today, predicting the legislation would usher in a new era of land preservation.
"This is the start of a wave here," Spitler said.
