Congress pushes to protect wilderness
As soaring oil prices fuel the call for more domestic oil and gas drilling, a push is on in Washington to protect millions of acres of wilderness across the U.S., including a 20,000-acre tract in eastern New Mexico, the Washington Post is reporting today. Congress is considering bills that would place as many as a dozen "pristine areas" under federal control, according to the paper:
A confluence of factors is driving this wilderness renaissance: the shift in Congress from Republican to Democratic control; environmentalists' decision to take a more pragmatic approach in which they enlist local support for their proposals by making concessions to opposing interests; and some communities' recognition that intact ecosystems can often offer a greater economic payoff than extractive industries.
The House of Representatives has passed six wilderness bills in recent weeks. The Senate has passed another four and could approve more, "an effort that (Energy and Natural Resources Committee) Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said was aimed at addressing `some pent-up demand for bills that had been in the works for most of the last decade.'"
Among wilderness designations under consideration is New Mexico's Sabinoso Wilderness Study Area, 40 miles east of Las Vegas. The Sabinoso wilderness bill, introduced by Rep. Tom Udall, D-NM, last year, cleared the House last week.
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