Spokane lawmaker favors Wild Sky wilderness bill

By Alex Fryer
Seattle Times Washington bureau

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In his strongest pro-environmental statement to date, Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, announced his support of the creation of a permanently protected wilderness area in Snohomish County.

Environmentalists applauded Nethercutt's decision, which came more than two years after Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rick Larsen of Lake Stevens, both Democrats, introduced the proposal.

The Wild Sky Wilderness Act would extend federal wilderness protection to 106,000 acres, closing logging roads and protecting land around salmon streams. It has passed the Senate but languished in the House, where Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., has taken a skeptical view of new wilderness legislation.

Nethercutt said the measure may need to be changed to win support of Pombo's committee, possibly by compromising on the status of 13 miles of former logging roads, which Pombo told him were unsuitable for federal protection.

"Most people don't think there's any chance in the world that the Senate-passed version will get through the House Resources Committee," said Nethercutt. "I believe I can get a version through the committee that is as good, if not better."

Nethercutt's announcement "is good news for people who want to protect Wild Sky," said Jim Young, regional representative of the Sierra Club.

Young said he hoped Nethercutt wouldn't introduce major changes.

Abbey Blake, a spokeswoman for Larsen, whose district includes Wild Sky, said there has been no close coordination between Larsen and Nethercutt staff members, and she didn't know the details of what Nethercutt had in mind.

But Blake said Nethercutt would have to "walk a thin tightrope" when making changes to Wild Sky.

"If Congressman Nethercutt does choose to do a different bill, we can only hope it meets the high standards Congressman Larsen and Senator Murray have set," she said.
 
Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com