After a long process, an omnibus wilderness bill that includes a provision to designate more than 16,000 acres of wilderness in New Mexico was finally signed into law by President Barack Obama today in the East Room of the White House.

There are many other parts of the bill that affect New Mexico.

Both senators and all three representatives from New Mexico attended the signing ceremony. Jeff Bingaman sponsored the original Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 and Tom Udall originally wrote the Sabinoso Wilderness Act while in the House. President Joe Shirley of the Navajo Nation also attended the signing, and got a mention from the president.

The bill designates more than 2 million acres of land as wilderness. “Almost as much as was designated over the past eight years combined,” Obama declared.

“Giving this area wilderness status will allow us to showcase and protect another beautiful part New Mexico,” Bingaman said in a statement.

Of the newly designated Sabinoso Wilderness, Udall said, “The preservation of this incredible landscape will now remain for the permanent benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations.”

The new wilderness area will now be open for grazing, hunting and other recreational uses.

Rep. Ben Ray Luján, who replaced Udall when Udall left the House, said, “By protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural resources which are integral to the identity of New Mexico and America, this bill ensures the prolonged existence and availability of forest lands and natural resources for future generations.”

Rep. Harry Teague said, “From the Snowy River Cave in Lincoln County to the prehistoric trackways in the Robledo Mountains in Doña Ana this package of bills provides important protections for some of the natural treasures we have throughout southern New Mexico.”

Rep Martin Heinrich said, “In the West, we know the value of water and the value of the places where we hunt, fish and recreate with our families.”

In addition to the Sabinoso Wilderness Act, there are 11 separate provisions relating to New Mexico in the bill, including the Rio Grande Pueblos Irrigation Infrastructure Improvement Act, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System Authorization Act, the Navajo-San Juan Indian Water Rights Settlement, the New Mexico Aquifer Assessment Act.

Udall said that he did not do this alone, saying, “The Sabinoso Wilderness is the product of years of work by the entire community, including local leaders, sportsmen, land owners and ranchers.”

The Act was originally introduced by then-Rep. (now Sen.) Tom Udall, a Democrat, and was introduced this year by his successor, Rep. Ben Ray Luján, also a Democrat.

“The ecosystem that represents the wilderness is unique to the region and supports diverse wildlife and vegetation—which is why the Sabinoso Wilderness Act is supported by hunters, ranchers, conservationists, and residents who want to preserve the land for future generations,” Luján said in a statement. “The language will preserve valuable and treasured land, providing the next generation with the opportunity to enjoy it.”

Udall commented on the lands bill today, too, saying “I am proud that after years of work on the local, state and federal levels, we are just one step from ensuring its permanent protection.”

In addition to the Sabinoso Wilderness Act, the passed legislation featured four bills pertaining to water availability. They are the Rio Grande Pueblos Irrigation Infrastructure Improvement Act, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System Authorization Act, the Navajo-San Juan Indian Water Rights Settlement, and the New Mexico Aquifer Assessment Act.

Albuquerque Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich spoke in favor of the legislation on the House floor today, saying, “The Rio Grande has been the lifeblood of our community for thousands of years, and for the Pueblo of Sandia this bill will make possible much-needed investments in their water infrastructure and vital agricultural irrigation systems.”

Heinrich continued, “From east to west, this bill will reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor Program which is essential to preserving the historical character and vibrancy of our beloved Central Avenue.”

The video of Heinrich’s speech is available on C-Span’s Web site.

“Communities in New Mexico need access to this precious resource, and this legislation will help alleviate the problems they face with water availability and allocation,” Luján, who also introduced these pieces of legislation, said.

Michael B. Casaus, Sierra Club of New Mexico’s field organizing manager, said, “This is the biggest wilderness protection bill in decades.” He also praised the leadership of all three members of the New Mexico delegation, saying Heinrich, Luján and Democratic Rep. Harry Teague “have helped ensure that we will have a wild legacy to pass on to our children and grandchildren.”

In addition to establishing the Sabinoso Wilderness, the legislation would create 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states. Much of the land is in the West.

Both of New Mexico’s U.S. senators, Democrats Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman, praised the easy passage, on a 77-20 vote.

“This legislation to protect and expand this amazing area for public us is the product of years of hard work on the local, state and federal level,” said Udall. “I want to thank Senator Bingaman for including it in his lands package, which has now passed the Senate twice, and I call on the House to pass it quickly. It is time the Sabinoso Wilderness Act became law.”

“This legislation gives Sabinoso the special attention it needs and deserves, and makes certain that it can be enjoyed by New Mexicans for years to come,” Bingaman said.

The odds in the House look good. When it failed the House, it was brought up under a rules suspension, which required two-thirds approval from the House. The bill fell two votes short. This time, the bill will need a simple majority to pass.

The New York Times’ The Caucus blog has more:

Representative Steny Hoyer, the majority leader in the House, just said that members would be voting on the bill next week, under a measure that provides for a simple majority vote. He and Representative Eric Cantor, the Republican whip, exchanged a few words on the House floor when Mr. Cantor sought to inquire as to whether the bill — in its latest incarnation — would be open for amendments.

Nope, Mr. Hoyer said. The House Democratic leadership has been trying to prevent that all along, and that’s one of the reasons the bill ran into trouble two weeks ago when they tried to get it passed under a rules suspension requiring two-thirds approval. It fell two votes short.

The main opposition came from Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn. “You put 488,000 acres into wilderness that the study areas said should never go into wilderness because they have significant oil, gas and other mineral potentials,” he told the Senate, according to Deseret News. “Parochial interests have taken over and trumped over the national energy needs of this country.”

Included in the 160 pieces of legislation was a bill to designate more than 17,000 acres in San Miguel County as wilderness. The bill was written by Sen. Tom Udall back when he was Rep. Tom Udall.

Every Democrat present voted for the bill, joined by 18 Republicans and both independents.

“This legislation was made possible by the coalition of local communities, including landowners, hunters, ranchers, conservationists and state legislators who worked so hard to protect this land,” said Udall. “I want to thank them for their efforts and congratulate them on a job well done. I look forward to the bill moving quickly through the House and being signed into law.”

Bingaman added: “Designating this special place a wilderness area was a collaborative effort between hunters, conservationists, ranchers and local leaders. I’m very pleased to have supported Sen. Udall’s efforts to gain Senate passage of this bill.”

The omnibus bill is expected to pass the U.S. House and be signed into law by President-elect Barack Obama after his inauguration next Tuesday.

The legislation is actually a collection of 160 bills, according to the Associated Press article by Michael Daly that ran in the Albuquerque Journal today. “Today is a great day for America’s public lands,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat. “This big, bipartisan package of bills represents years of work by senators from many states, and both parties, in cooperation with local communities, to enhance places that make America so special.”

In addition to listing swathes of land across the West designated for protection, Daly gave a list of New Mexico projects included in the bill. But he left out the 20,000-acre Sabinoso Wilderness area, which is located 40 miles east of Las Vegas, N.M.

Nathan Newcomer, associate director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, said this is disappointing because the headline of the article is all about wilderness. In an e-mail to NMI, Newcomer explained:

This lands package has been in the works for many years and would designate several Wilderness areas across the Rocky Mountain West, including the 20,000 acre Sabinoso Wilderness Area.

The Sabinoso Wilderness Area… represents one of the last remnants of the Great Plains ecosystem in our state. This bill has garnered much support over the years from then-representative Tom Udall, Senator Bingaman, local mayors, city councils and county commissioners.

… the article fails to mention the Sabinoso Wilderness Act anywhere in its story, even though the headlines of the piece are focused exclusively on Wilderness legislation.

Needless to say, this is very disappointing.