Dems back Reichert wilderness bill

Fresh from the creation of the Wild Sky Wilderness, two Democrats have signed onto a bill by Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., to expand a separate federal wilderness area east of Seattle.

Democratic Reps. Jay Inslee and Norm Dicks of Washington state are the first co-sponsors of a bill that would expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area by about 22,000 acres.

The lawmakers added their names to the bill last week, a month after President Bush signed a bill creating the nearby Wild Sky Wilderness - a measure Democrats had worked to enact for more than six years. The 106,000-acre wilderness in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is the first new federal wilderness area in Washington state in 24 years.

Inslee praised Reichert's intent to preserve old-growth and mature forests and mountain peaks, and to designate the Pratt River as wild and scenic, but said he had concerns about the proposed boundary lines and other details.

"As we learned with Wild Sky, getting a wilderness bill to the president's desk and signed into law takes a significant amount of effort from stakeholders, consensus from community members and widespread support from lawmakers," Inslee said. "Therefore, we must get wilderness area designation right the first time."

The Alpine Lakes bill would designate land near Interstate 90, just east of North Bend, as wilderness, the government's highest level of protection. The bill would add to a 394,000-acre reserve of craggy Cascade peaks, alpine lakes and forest. Alpine Lakes is about 50 miles south of Wild Sky, which is located near Index, Wash., north of U.S. 2.

Reichert welcomed the veteran Democrats' support, which he had been seeking for months.

"It's the same spirit as the Wild Sky Wilderness," said spokeswoman Abigail Shilling. Reichert and his predecessor, the late GOP Rep. Jennifer Dunn, both worked with Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen to help pass Wild Sky.

"Dave is glad to have them on board and get the (Alpine Lakes) bill moving," Shilling said.

The support from Inslee and Dicks was somewhat surprising, given Reichert's status as a top Democratic target in the fall elections. Reichert faces a strong challenge from Democrat Darcy Burner for his seat representing Seattle's eastern suburbs, and Democrats have been reluctant to enhance Reichert's "green" credentials.

While Reichert has a decent pro-environment record in the current Congress, his overall environmental record is less clear, said Sandeep Kaushik, a spokesman for Burner.

"He still refuses to concede that global warming is caused by human activity. He continues to take substantial contributions from oil and timber interests, and he has declined to co-sponsor Inslee's Roadless Rule bill, which is probably the single most important piece of conservation legislation before the current Congress," Kaushik said.

The roadless bill would prevent logging, mining and other development on more than 58 million acres of remote national forests, including 2 million acres in Washington state.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together and come to the conclusion that as Reichert faces the toughest re-election challenge of his career he has made a political calculation that he needs to shore up his environmental credentials," Kaushik said.

Burner said in a statement that she applauded Reichert for taking a small step in the direction of wilderness conservation. But she said Reichert's failure to co-sponsor the roadless law was "the equivalent of focusing on a tree while losing sight of the fact that the forest is being chopped down around you."

Kaushik also faulted Reichert for failing to get the state's two other Republicans, Reps. Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, to sign onto the bill.

Shilling said Reichert was working to get support from the entire Washington delegation. Reichert has supported the roadless proposal in the past, and is considering becoming a co-sponsor, Shilling said.

No public hearing has been set on the Alpine Lakes bill, although Shilling said Reichert hoped to persuade Democratic leaders of the House Natural Resources Committee to schedule one by the end of the year.

A spokeswoman for the panel's chairman, Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., declined to comment on Reichert's bill, but said Rahall has prided himself on his ability to work with both parties on wilderness legislation and other measures.

The House has approved seven wilderness bills this year - far more than under Rahall's Republican predecessor, said spokeswoman Allyson Groff.

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On the Net:

The bill is H.R. 4113. Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov