http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/07/20...0_477_19_06.txt
House panel clears wilderness bills for California, Oregon, Idaho
By: MATTHEW DALY - Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The House Resources Committee approved bills Wednesday that would create nearly 670,000 acres of new wilderness areas and protect 47 miles of wild and scenic rivers in California, Idaho and Oregon.
The three bills approved by the panel would protect about 279,000 acres in California, 315,000 acres in Idaho and 77,000 acres in Oregon. The action clears the way for votes by the full House as soon as next week.
The unanimous votes in the GOP-controlled committee were unusual, particularly since they involved wilderness expansion, virtually always a contentious process. Wilderness designation forbids commercial exploitation and motorized recreation.
These bills, however, have all been in the works for years and represent compromise among groups from business owners to ranchers, local governments, recreation advocates, conservationists and Indian tribes.
"We applaud members of the House Resources Committee for moving these key conservation bills forward," said Mike Matz, executive director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness, which backed all three bills. "All Americans are on their way to being able to forever enjoy the majesty of (Idaho's) stunning Boulder-White Cloud mountain range; Big Bottom's thousand-year-old cedar trees and the rugged backcountry of Roaring River in Oregon; and rare coastal ancient forests in California's spectacular North Coast."
The California bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif. would designate more than 279,000 acres of northern California as wilderness and approximately 79,000 acres as a recreation management area for off-road vehicles and mountain bikes. A similar bill has twice passed the Senate but stalled in the House.
The Oregon bill would create more than 77,000 acres of new wilderness preserves in the Mount Hood National Forest. The bill would be the first new wilderness --the most restrictive of federal land designations -- in the 1.1 million acre forest since 1984. The bill was sponsored by Oregon Reps. Greg Walden, a Republican, and Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat.
"This bill protects very special places on the mountain for future generations, while working to improve access, recreation, forest health and watersheds," Walden said.
The Idaho bill would designate three new wilderness areas comprising 315,215 acres in the rugged mountain peaks of the Sawtooth and Challis national forests, while conveying other public land to the state and local governments. It also would add 600 acres to the existing Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
"I'm pretty confident it will pass the floor of the House," said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, the bill's sponsor. "After that, it depends on how quickly the Senate moves it."
On the Net:
Information on the three bills, H.R. 233 (Calif.), H.R. 5025 (Oregon) and H.R. 3603 (Idaho) is at http://thomas.loc.gov