Supporters of a bill to place millions of acres of Utah wilderness off-limits to commercial development, energy drilling and motor vehicles say the proposal may finally have the political muster to pass after decades of failed attempts.
The "America's Red Rock Wilderness" bill (H.R. 1925) sponsored by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), seeks to designate as wilderness 9.4 million acres of federal lands, including parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and areas adjacent to Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The designated areas, based on a public survey conducted by volunteers from the Utah Wilderness Coalition, would preserve access for recreational activities like hunting, hiking and camping in some of the most picturesque parts of the state.
A companion to Hinchey's bill sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Though its proponents count 136 co-sponsors, the bill has not been endorsed by any member of the Utah delegation, a fact that could prove troublesome at a hearing Thursday before a House Natural Resources subcommittee.
"A Utah wilderness bill should come from a Utah representative," said Scott Parker, spokesman for Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), the ranking member of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands subcommittee.
"When folks from the respective areas get involved, this can be done correctly," Parker said, "but there just isn't any of that."
Richard Peterson-Cremer, legislative director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said he would rather Utah's delegation support the bill, but the lands in question are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and owned by all Americans.
"[The Utah members] would still like to see a local process," such as county-level wilderness designations, Peterson-Cremer said. "But these are national issues. That's why Durbin and Hinchey sponsored the bill, because their constituents care about these lands."
The bill's proponents can count on the support of at least one well-known local. Rocky Anderson, a former mayor of Salt Lake City and champion of land conservation, is scheduled to testify in support of the bill.
Other witnesses who support the bill include Bryson Garbett, president of Utah-based housing developer Garbett Homes, and Peter Metcalf, CEO Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., maker of skiing and climbing gear.
Even without the Utah delegation, the bill has an ally in President Obama, whose support represents a break from the Bush administration, said Jeff Lieberson, spokesman for Hinchey.
"We have a new administration that is much more willing to listen to the facts rather than just siding with the oil and natural gas industry," said Lieberson, adding that this could be the bill's best chance of passing since it was first introduced in 1989. The last congressional hearing on the bill was in 1995.
Devil's Staircase, other bills
Thursday's hearing will also discuss five other public lands bills, including a measure from Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.). H.R. 2888 would permanently protect nearly 30,000 acres as federal wilderness on Wassen Creek in Oregon's Coast Range.
Devil's Staircase is considered one of the most secluded locations in Oregon and features some of the few examples of classic old growth forest left in the Coast Range.
H.R. 2689, sponsored by Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), would authorize a study of the suitability and feasibility of designating the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va., as a unit of the National Park System.
H.R. 86, sponsored by Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.), would eliminate an unused lighthouse reservation in order to meet the original intent of Congress to preserve Orange County, Calif., rocks and small islands.
H.R. 2781, sponsored by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), would seek to add segments of the Molalla River in Oregon to the federal National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
H.R. 118, sponsored by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), would authorize the addition of 100 acres to Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey, a village that twice served as quarters for the Continental Army.
Schedule: The hearing is Thursday, Oct. 1, at 10 a.m. in 1334 Longworth.
Witnesses: Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City; Bryson Garbett, president of Garbett Homes; Peter Metcalf, CEO of Black Diamond Equipment Ltd.; and others TBA.
