Bipartisan BMT/National Scenic Trail Bills Introduced in the Senate and House

[Slugg]

https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsr...eid=eac5ad3a61

This is the third consecutive year the bill has been introduced, hopefully third times a charm. There are more co-sponsors this time including my local congresswoman Nikema Williams whom I urged last year to support the bill. Ima go ahead and take credit for that

[zelph]

Thank you Slugg ThumbsUP.png

[illabelle]

Yup, good job! Glad to see this happening.

[Gambit McCrae]

Man that's pretty cool for you(and everyone) to be able to see a product of your initiative in government. I feel like that is a pretty rare feat. Great job Slugg

[Slugg]

(Taken from yesterday's BMTA e-newsletter)

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association (BMTA) is another step closer towards achieving their goal of having the Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) designated a National Scenic Trail (NST)!

A July 24, 2024, hearing was held before the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands for H.R. 8403 – a bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives calling for a feasibility study of the Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) with the goal of designating the BMT a National Scenic Trail.

Testifying before the committee on behalf of the Benton MacKaye Trail Association (BMTA) was former BMTA President Ken Cissna. The hearing was an extremely important step in the legislative process towards the eventual passage of H.R. 8403.

The bill was introduced May 15, 2024, in the U.S. House of Representatives by Steve Cohen (Democrat from Tennessee), Chuck Fleischmann (Republican from Tennessee), Chuck Edwards (Republican from North Carolina), Scott DesJarlais (Republican from Tennessee), Lucy McBath (Democrat from Marietta) and Nikema Williams (Democrat from Atlanta).

Read the full oral testimony here:
https://bmtamail.org/nl/2024/BMTANew...eid=eac5ad3a61

[Captain Blue]

It looks like all of these sponsors are running for re-election in the House in November and have won their respective primaries. That's a good sign!

[Gambit McCrae]

What are the requirements to be a NST?

[Crossbar]

No idea on the details of what has to be in place, just that the feasibility study is the first step. In the past the NPS handles that and then it's back to Congress again if they recommend adding the trail. Probably looking at 6 to 10 more years.