WASHINGTON – In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate has passed the most sweeping conservation bill in a decade, protecting 1.3 million acres of wilderness and establishing four new national monuments, including the Mississippi home of civil rights activist Medgar Evers.
The bill also permanently withdraws more than 370,000 acres of land (about 578 square miles) from mining around two national parks, including Yellowstone.
The 662-page measure passed 92-8 Tuesday, with nearly every senator adding something for his or her state.
New York also got a few goodies.
The National Comedy Center in upstate Jamestown received “congressional recognition” as “the only museum of its kind that exists for the exclusive purpose of celebrating comedy in all forms.”
But the honor doesn’t come with any funding attached.
The museum opened in August 2018 in “I Love Lucy” star Lucille Ball’s hometown.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand took credit for enlarging the FDR National Historic Site in Hyde Park by 89 acres.
The bill designated the Finger Lakes Region for study as a possible National Heritage Area.
The North Country Trail, which runs from North Dakota to Vermont, had more miles added in New York.
The bill now heads to the House, where it also has broad support.