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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Tennessee Wilderness Act Passes Hurdle in Congress

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Monday, November 13, 2017   

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. -- Tennessee is one step closer to protecting nearly 20,000 acres of public land in the Cherokee National Forest in the northeastern part of the state.

A joint effort by Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker from Tennessee, and Pat Roberts of Kentucky, passed out of committee late last week and will move on for a full vote. Bill Hodge, executive director with the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, explained the significance of protecting the land for future generations.

"What better thing than to know that our clean water starts in some of the most wild and preserved places,” Hodge said. "It gives us special places to recreate in, special places to reconnect with ourselves. It also provides incredibly important wildlife habitat, as well."

If the land is declared federal wilderness, it will be protected from development, road creation and motorized vehicles in perpetuity. Supporters say along with the additional protections for land and wildlife, the designation is also a safeguard for the state's outdoor recreation economy, which generates more than $21 billion annually in consumer spending.

The proposed areas are home to brook trout, white tailed deer, black bear, turkey and hundreds of additional species, said Hodge.

"These areas protect some incredibly diverse places,” he said. "We have a variety of eco-zone types that these areas represent and are, frankly, some of the last for these incredibly rich and diverse ecosystems."

The bill started out as the Tennessee Wilderness Act. It's now part of the Federal Land Management Act of 2017, which will also impact land in Virginia and Maine.

The Cherokee National Forest is already public land, but designating it as wilderness protects it from any changes made to federal lands based on policies in the current or future administrations.


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