As the 110th Congress winds down, a number of wilderness bills are still under active consideration in both the House and the Senate.
On July 16, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests held a hearing on three pending wilderness bills: the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area and the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area Act (S. 3056); the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act (S. 3069); and the Sabinoso Wilderness Act (H.R. 2632). The next step in the legislative process for these bills is a hoped-for markup by the Committee sometime in early September.
The Dominquez Canyon Wilderness Area Act was introduced by Ken Salazar (D-CO) in the Senate and John Salazar (D-CO) in the House. The bill will protect some 66,000 acres of red rock sandstone canyons, cliffs, streams and waterfalls in western Colorado.
The Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act, introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), will protect nearly 470,000 acres of wilderness and 52 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers. From the 14,000-foot peak in Mono County’s White Mountains, to the Amargosa River near Death Valley, to Magic Mountain in the San Gabriel’s near Los Angeles, the proposal includes some of the region’s most treasured natural wonders, including the new specially-designated Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, which contains the world’s oldest living trees.
Representative Tom Udall’s (D-NM) Sabinoso Wilderness Act was passed by the House of Representatives on June 9, 2008. The bill will designate more than 15,000 acres in San Miguel County, NM, as wilderness, including one of the finest intact Great-Plains ecosystems left in New Mexico.
The Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee also held a hearing on July 10 on two Oregon wilderness proposals—S. 3088, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness Act, introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR); and S. 3089, the Spring Basin Wilderness Act, sponsored by Senators Wyden and Gordon Smith (R-OR). These two bills will designate as wilderness approximately 40,000 acres of some of Oregon’s most dramatic and picturesque landscapes, including ancient lava flows, castle-like rock formations, ancient junipers and wildflower meadows.
On June 26, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced a major public lands package (S. 3213 - the Omnibus Public Land Management Act). Amongst other provisions, this important bill incorporates seven separate new wilderness proposals—including the Wild Monongahela Wilderness Act for West Virginia, the Mt. Hood Wilderness Act for Oregon, the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act for Colorado, and the Owyhee Public Lands Management Act for Idaho. Currently, the bill contains nearly 1,150,000 acres of new wilderness designations.
This package is expected to be considered in September when the Senate returns from the August recess. If it receives Senate and House approval, the bill would add significantly to the current National Wilderness Preservation System. There is also the possibility this omnibus bill may be further expanded, possibly including additional wilderness proposals, prior to its consideration by the Senate.