Senate approves package of park, water and forest bills

By Jennifer Yachnin, Marc Heller | 06/20/2025 01:28 PM EDT

One bill would reauthorize the lapsed Secure Rural Schools program.

Sen. John Hickenlooper speaks.

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) is lead sponsor of the "Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act," which passed the Senate on Wednesday. Ben Curtis/AP

The Senate on Wednesday approved a package of bills from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, including legislation to shore up Colorado River water supplies and to expand a national park.

Both Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski praised the bipartisan package.

“I am hopeful that the Senate can pass more of these similar, very noncontroversial bills through the unanimous consent process,” Murkowski said on the Senate floor.

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“We shouldn’t get into the process where we wait until the end of a Congress, or perhaps even multiple Congresses, for a package to be knit together,” she added. “People in these communities are waiting on us.”

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