Here we
go again, this time during the 111th Congress (2009 - 2010), with
this insane bill called the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA).
This bill has once again been introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York.
“The plan would forbid most
development across broad swaths of public land in the five states. It calls for the removal of more than 6,000
miles of existing roads, primarily within national forests. Old logging
roads would be removed, and habitat restored in most
of those areas, creating about 2,300
jobs and leading to a more sustainable economic base in the region, said
Michael Garrity, executive director of the Montana-based
NREPA
would create another 23 to 24 million more acres of wilderness in five western
states (
Numerous
statements regarding NREPA by various individuals attempt to jump on the ever
so popular “stimulate the economy” bandwagon by claiming NREPA would create
thousands of new jobs. I guess they must have forgotten about that thousands of
lost jobs that will result from locking up millions of acres of public land
from most multiple-use activities and the loss of jobs from businesses that
profit and employees that earn a living from catering to those multiple-use
activities.
Link to Rep.
Carolyn Maloney’s Press Release:
http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1787&Itemid=61
Rep.
Maloney’s NREPA bill has been introduced every year since 1993, but it has
thankfully in these past years never had enough support in Congress
to pass and be signed by the president, which would then become law.
Could this year be different? It is certainly possible with the newly elected
individuals in Congress and the White House this year, who
happen to be much more supportive of additional wilderness designations, so
this bill could have the support it needs in this Congress to become law.
The fact
that Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz,
is a co-sponsor of NREPA this year is also certainly not good news for the
public who enjoys mechanized recreation on public lands. Rep. Grijalva is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National
Parks, Forests and
NREPA is the grand daddy of all wilderness bills. This
bill proposes to implement large portions of the "Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative" or also referred to as "The Wildlands
Project", and as previously stated, it would designate somewhere between 23
and 24 million MORE acres as wilderness in the states of Idaho, Montana,
Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Do you enjoy
snowmobiling in any of these states? If the answer is yes, then you do not want
to see this bill become law.
Link to a
general map (without detail boundary lines shown) of the proposed new
wilderness areas (dark green):
http://www.wildrockies.org/nrepa/assets/pix/brochure/mapbig.jpg
Read the
entire bill at this link:
http://maloney.house.gov/documents/environment/20090129_NREPA.pdf
Link to look up the
contact information for your representative:
Lookup your U.S. House
Representative
The following members on the
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and
Mr. Raúl M. Grijalva,
|
Democrats |
Republicans |
|
Dale E.
Kildee, Michigan |
Don
Young, Alaska |
Link to
our previous
There is
not much in this year’s version of the NREPA bill that has changed since our
previous
Please write your representative to let them know that you
are opposed to this bill and why, but DO NOT reference the old bill number from
the last Congress, just refer to the bill as the "Northern Rockies
Ecosystem Protection Act" or NREPA for short. I have not included a
deadline in this alert, as it is currently not scheduled for a hearing, but it
is always best to contact your representative sooner rather than later.
Thank you in advance for acting on the recommendation in this alert.
Dave Hurwitz
Snowmobile Alliance of Western
States
Copyright 2009,
Snowmobile
Associated Press Article:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_northern_rockies_wilderness.html
As in previous years, the proposal by Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney drew
criticism from some Western lawmakers who view it as an intrusion on their
turf. The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act would designate millions of
new wilderness acreage in
No member of Congress from any of the five states has agreed to co-sponsor
the bill, which Maloney has pushed in Congress since 1993. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., is a
co-sponsor of the latest version. The bill would create 9.5 million acres of
new wilderness in
Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., called the bill a "top-down approach" that does not account for impacts on the local economy or adequately protect access for hunting, fishing and other forms of recreation.
"
Maloney, who represents
"Many of
The measure would also mitigate the effect of climate change on wildlife by protecting corridors that allow grizzly bears, caribou, elk, bison, wolves and other wildlife to migrate to cooler areas, she said.
The plan would forbid most development across broad swaths of public land in
the five states. It calls for the removal of more than 6,000 miles of existing
roads, primarily within national forests. Old logging roads would be removed, and habitat restored in most of those areas,
creating about 2,300 jobs and leading to a more sustainable economic base in
the region, said Michael Garrity, executive director
of the Montana-based
The wilderness measure has been introduced every Congress for nearly two decades, but has only twice made it so far as a public hearing - in 1994 and in 2007.
A significant number of Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, spoke favorably of the bill in 2007, and even more lawmakers from both parties are likely to back the bill this year, Garrity said.
"We think we're making tremendous progress. We have a new president who is much more supportive of wilderness, and we think we have an excellent chance" of winning congressional approval, Garrity said.
A key argument in favor of the bill is a plan to dismantle old logging roads and restore habitat in many areas that have been clear-cut by logging, Garrity said. "This bill puts people to work" in a manner reminiscent of the old Civilian Conservation Corps created in the New Deal,
