Wilderness, Wild River Bill Passes with Strong Bipartisan Support

Republicans for Environmental Protection, a national grassroots organization that includes elected officials as members, applauds today's Senate passage of legislation designating the Wild Sky Wilderness in Washington State and the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River in Connecticut.

"The Wild Sky Wilderness and Eightmile Wild and Scenic River designations will protect outstanding examples of America's natural beauty at opposite ends of the country. Both enjoy strong bipartisan support, as they should. Nothing is more conservative than protecting our heritage for the benefit of future generations," REP Policy Director Jim DiPeso said.

While the House approved both designations last year in separate bills, the House must approve them again because the Senate included them in a consolidated public lands bill. Republican co-sponsors of the House bills designating the Wild Sky Wilderness and the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River are, respectively, Dave Reichert, R-WA, and Chris Shays, R-CT.

The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 includes an assortment of public lands authorizations, including establishment of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area in Florida; and the 290-mile Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail in Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia.

"We are pleased that the Senate adopted the Consolidated Natural Resources Act with a strong bipartisan majority. We urge the House to move swiftly to approve the bill and send it to President Bush," REP Government Affairs Director David Jenkins said.

"Giving permanent protection to the great places that tell America's story is one of the highest forms of patriotism," Jenkins said. "As President Ronald Reagan once said, 'This is our patrimony. This is what we leave to our children. And our great moral responsibility is to leave it to them either as we found it or better than we found it.'"