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Thursday, July 24, 2003
Wild Sky moves one step forward
The efforts to create a new wilderness in Snohomish County received a well-deserved boost in the Senate Wednesday.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the Wild Sky Wilderness bill on a unanimous vote. That support reflects well the consensus-driven approach of the bill's authors, Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen.
The Washington Democrats have worked with a range of interest groups, crafting the bill to ensure the wilderness area doesn't deprive snowmobilers, wheelchair users or even float-plane pilots traditional access to spots near Index. And the lawmakers have still provided much-needed wilderness protection for low-lying forests and salmon-bearing streams.
The committee, which includes Washington's Sen. Maria Cantwell, cleared the way for a vote by the full Senate, which approved Wild Sky last year. The bill failed in the House then, but Eastside Republican Rep. Jennifer Dunn hopes for better luck.
A degree of opposition has arisen this year from the Snohomish County Farm Bureau. The Senate committee's unanimous action show how well the plan stands up to careful study. Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican who normally questions expansion of wilderness areas, has praised the bill.
The administration has indicated President Bush would sign the bill. That would be good politics for the president, and great policy for the Pacific Northwest.
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