Wilderness Protection Bill Passes House
Wilderness
The Eagle-Tribune
Bryan McGonigle
Boston University Washington News Service
Nov. 15, 2006
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15– Reps. Jeb Bradley, R-N.H., and Charles Bass, R-N.H., will leave Washington having successfully helped pass a bill in the House that would protect nearly 35,000 acres of wilderness in the Granite State.
The New England Wilderness Act, which would designate land in the Wild River Valley as protected wilderness and expand the existing safe-guarded wilderness area in the Sandwich Range, passed on a voice vote Wednesday. It also would protect more than 46,000 acres in the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont.
“I’ve hiked in those mountains, and I’ll have a lot more time to hike them now,” Bradley, who lost his bid for reelection last week, joked on the House floor. He then said that the positive impact from the bill will be felt in New Hampshire long after he’s left Washington.
Earlier this year, Bass and Bradley pushed for legislation that would protect the land in New Hampshire but did not include Vermont. In September, the legislation was voted down after Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., urged members to oppose it because it didn’t protect Vermont.
The Senate, however, passed legislation that would protect wilderness in both states, and after Bass and Bradley compromised with Sanders, the House passed that bill.
“A wilderness designation adds additional protections to areas of the White Mountain National Forest that are among the most beautiful and unique in the White Mountains,” Bradley said in a statement after the vote. “The passage of this important legislation will help to preserve the areas for future generations to be able to enjoy.”
Susan Arnold, director of conservation for the Appalachian Mountain Club, applauded the passage of the bill.
“Protecting wilderness is one of the many valuable uses of our public lands, and the congressmen’s work on behalf of wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest is a legacy that will be appreciated by Granite State residents and visitors today, and for generations to come,” Arnold said.
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