Central Idaho Wilderness Bill Rises Again
Supporters (like ICL) think the revised legislation has a better chance of passing this year.
WASHINGTON—After nearly a decade of labor and compromise, sweeping legislation that protects hundreds of thousands of acres as wilderness in Idaho's Boulder-White Cloud mountains is headed for a Senate hearing this week.
The Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act goes back to Congress on Wednesday, but this time with what some say is a significantly greater chance than in years past. For the first time, the bill's champion, Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, has the support of Idaho's entire congressional delegation.
"Basically, he is looking forward to this being the year it gets done," said Simpson's chief of staff, Lindsay Slater.
First proposed by Simpson in 2001, the bill has evolved through five Congresses. In its latest form, the measure has been hailed as a compromise across aisles and a victory for a variety of interests.
In the past, Simpson lacked the support of a fellow Republican who kept the legislation from moving in the Senate: Sen. Larry Craig, who retired at the beginning of 2009.
Rick Johnson, the executive director of the Idaho Conservation League, said that although the Democrats who led Congress previously balked at a conservative Republican presenting a wilderness bill, they've grown to see Simpson's sincerity.
