[MCN] NREPA Wilderness Bill Re-Introduced in Both U.S. House and Senate

[Matthew Koehler]

*Reps. Maloney, Grijalva and Sen. Whitehouse Introduce Legislation to
Protect Pristine Northern Rockies Ecosystem*

*WASHINGTON – *To protect a major pristine ecosystem in the Northern
Rockies that is currently under threat from logging and other industrial
activities, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) and House Committee
on Natural Resources Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva (AZ-3), along with
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), introduced the Northern Rockies
Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) today in both the House and Senate.

The bill would designate 23 million acres of America’s premiere road-less
lands in five states; Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Washington, as
permanent wilderness. It would also designate nearly 1,800 miles of rivers
and streams as wild and scenic rivers.

For the first time, NREPA has been introduced with companion legislation in
the Senate.

“The Northern Rockies are a rich ecosystem and a national treasure. They
are worthy of our country’s highest protective status for wildlands,” *said
Congresswoman Maloney*. “This land should be designated as permanent
wilderness. NREPA will protect natural biological corridors and connect
whole ecosystems. It would save taxpayers money by eliminating wasteful
subsidies to the logging industry, and create thousands of new jobs,
restoring over 1 million acres of damaged habitat and watershed.”

“The Northern Rockies are one of the world’s great natural wonders, and
they need long-term preservation now more than ever,” said *Ranking Member
Grijalva*. “As an environmental champion, Sen. Whitehouse understands the
value of establishing these wilderness areas, and I’m proud to lead this
effort with him and Rep. Maloney. Leaving these beautiful open spaces
vulnerable to extraction and development would be an unforgivable mistake.
This bill, as it has been for years, is the right way to protect them.”

“Our forests and rivers are key to our health and wellbeing. They are also
engines of our economy,” *said Sen. Whitehouse*. “This bill would preserve
these wild places for future generations and safeguard critical habitat for
threatened species. I am glad to join Representatives Maloney and Grijalva
in reintroducing it.”

*Mike Garrity, Executive Director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies said*,
“The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act will create jobs by
restoring old clearcuts, save taxpayers money by reducing subsidized
logging, and protect habitat for native species by declaring as wilderness
all of the roadless areas in the Northern Rockies.”

Grizzly bears, caribou, elk, bison, wolves, bull trout and salmon still
thrive in the Northern Rockies. The bill seeks to safeguard both these
species and the lands on which they live.

According to a 2003 study, NREPA would save taxpayers $245 million over a
ten-year period by managing the land as wilderness. Additionally, more than
2,300 jobs would be created in the region through NREPA's program to
restore Northern Rockies habitats to their natural state.

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act:


   - Designates as wilderness more than 23 million acres of ecosystems and
   watersheds in the Northern Rockies;
   - Connects natural, biological corridors, ensuring the continued
   existence of native plants and animals and mitigating the effects of global
   warming;
   - Restores habitat that has been severely damaged from roads that were
   built, creating more than 2,300 jobs and leading to a more sustainable
   economic base in the region;
   - Keeps water available for ranchers and farmers downstream until it is
   most needed; and
   - Eliminates subsidized development in the designated wilderness areas,
   saving taxpayers $245 million over a 10-year period.


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