Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District

Issues

Environment

Wild Sky in Resources Committee

23 September 2004

Read today's articles about Wild Sky legislation:

Today U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee and Rick Larsen again pushed for a vote in the Resources Committee on a bipartisan Wild Sky compromise bill, which would provide the highest-level protection possible for the proposed Wild Sky wilderness area. Unfortunately, Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) cancelled the scheduled vote on this compromise bill today, and also on Rep. George Nethercutt’s last-minute, weakened version of the Wild Sky bill. The Chairman of the committee refused to have a vote on any Wild Sky legislation at all unless everyone would agree to support his version of the bill.

Said Inslee, “We want a vote on bipartisan, locally-supported Wild Sky legislation, and Washingtonians will be outraged when they find that one Californian has attempted to dictate to a broad bipartisan coalition of Washingtonians. The Nethercutt-Pombo bill is a chopped-up, adulterated version of Wild Sky that breaks faith with the broad community that has refined the bill over several years. We only get one chance to pass wilderness and we are going to do it right. Washingtonians' will on the Wild Sky will eventually prevail, even if not this year."

Larsen suggested, “If George Nethercutt really cares about Wild Sky, he should stop pointing fingers about why his hollow, gutted backcountry bill could not get a vote. Instead, he should help move forward the bipartisan Wild Sky Wilderness Act that provides solid, tried and tested protections under the law.”

The Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2003 (H.R. 822) would designate Washington’s first proposed Wilderness area since 1984. The Senate version of the bill passed the Senate on November 24, 2003.

[ Read Opinion on Wild Sky Wilderness by U.S. Reps. Inslee and Larsen ]

[ Photos of Inslee's recent Wild Sky hike ]