By Jim Stanford on January 9, 2009
Updated 1/11 with Senate vote
Frank Ewing on the Snake, August 2007.
Years of work by the Campaign for the Snake Headwaters and outfitters like Frank Ewing and Jack Dennis finally may be nearing a payoff.
The U.S. Senate on Sunday cleared a major hurdle toward approving a bundle of public lands bills that would protect large portions of the Snake River headwaters and the Wyoming Range from damming or oil and gas development.
Senators, including John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, both R-Wyo., voted 66-12 to cut off debate and prevent a filibuster by the legislation’s chief opponent, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. The Senate will vote on the package in the coming days and is expected to pass it.
However, although the House is likely to support the legislation, newly elected U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is trying to play the spoiler, reports the Casper Star-Tribune. Lummis opposes protection for the Snake and Wyoming Range as written, she says.
From American Rivers:
- Washington, DC — This Sunday, Congress has the chance to renew its commitment to protect the nation’s clean water and river heritage by passing S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which includes eight provisions that have important protections for 82 rivers. Only once before in history has Congress protected more rivers at one time under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The bill would safeguard over 270,000 acres along over 1,000 miles of rivers in Oregon, California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, and Massachusetts.
Included in the bill is the Snake Headwaters Legacy Act, which would give Wild and Scenic designation to nearly 400 miles of the Snake River and its tributaries in Wyoming. The Gros Ventre and Hoback rivers and Bailey, Crystal and Willow creeks are among the streams that would be protected, along with several stretches of the main stem of the Snake.
Also contained in the bill is the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which would prohibit further energy leasing on 1.2 million acres in the Wyoming and Salt River ranges and the Commissary Ridge area south of Jackson. Both of these Wyoming-related bills were sponsored by the late U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas and have been advanced by his successor, John Barrasso.
If passed, the bill could be among the first pieces of legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Posted under Democratic Party, Environment, Politics, Republican Party, Sports
On Jan. 15, the Senate voted 73-21 to approve the legislation, which now heads to the House.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00003