03.25.09

Cantwell Applauds House Passage on Landmark Public Lands Package

Cantwell's Bills Protect Pacific Northwest Scenery and Pristine Coastal Areas; Will Boost Tourism across the Region

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded House passage of a landmark public lands package to protect some of the Pacific Northwest and Washington state’s most breathtaking public lands and coastal areas. Cantwell secured key components of the package that will have lasting effects on preserving areas of Washington state that are important to its history and economy.
 
The package will now go to the White House for President Obama’s signature.
 
 

[Full Text of her Statement Below] 

 
"Mr. President, today, Congress can be very proud of a very significant accomplishment. 
 
Because today, Congress stood up for the enjoyment and protection of some of our nation’s most pristine and breathtaking wilderness areas, historical sites, national parks, forests, trails, scenic rivers, and oceans. This bill will help our country address the impacts of climate change on our coastal areas, and provide educational opportunities for our nation’s children.
 
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives will pass the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 – one of the most sweeping conservation bills that Congress has passed in many, many years.
 
It is a huge victory for the generations of Americans who enjoy these sites each year.
 
It is a huge victory for our American heritage.
 
And, it is a huge victory for Washington state.
 
This bill has been through many twists and turns over the last year. 
 
But today’s successful vote could not have been possible without the tenacity and dedication of Majority Leader Reid. 
 
I thank the Majority Leader for his steadfast support and dedication to seeing that these important public land and ocean priorities became law.
 
Today, I’d like to highlight some of the provisions in this bill that I am especially pleased to see go to the President’s desk.
 
First, this package includes the Snoqualmie Pass Land Conveyance Act, which I sponsored. This bill would transfer an acre and a half of Forest Service land to the Snoqualmie Pass Fire District to help them build a new fire station.
 
For decades, the Fire District has been leasing its current site from the Forest Service. They operate out of an aging building that was not designed to be a fire station.
 
While they have been able to serve their community despite this building’s many shortcomings, the time has come for us to pay them back for their hard work and dedication. With traffic on the rise and the need for emergency services in the area growing, the Fire District needs to move to a true fire station and this bill will finally help them do that.
 
Second, the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Designation Act is included in this bill. 
 
Since 2001, I have been working with communities in Central and Eastern Washington, the National Park Service, and community stakeholders to create an Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail through portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. 
 
Visitors to the trail will not only provide an important economic boost to Central and Eastern Washington communities, but they will learn about an amazing, and often overlooked, part of our region’s history.
 
You see, most people don’t know that during the last Ice Age, when a glacial lake in Montana formed and deepened enough, the sheer force of the backed up water undermined the glacial ice-dam. And, the ice gave way in a cracking explosion. 
 
The huge lake, bigger than all the rivers of the world today combined, was released all at once and carved its way through the Pacific Northwest. This changed the region’s geography. But these cataclysmic floods have been a story that’s gone largely untold. Because of this bill, more people will know this important part of Pacific Northwest history.
 
Third, this package includes my Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Act. 
 
The Pacific Northwest Trail runs from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Coast, is 1,200 miles long, and is one of the most pristine and breathtaking trails in the world.  
 
This carefully chosen path runs through the Rocky Mountains, Selkirk Mountains, Pasayten Wilderness, North Cascades, Olympic Mountains, and Wilderness Coast. 
 
From beginning to end it passes through three states. It crosses three National Parks. And it winds through seven National Forests. 
 
Finally, this trail will receive the designation is deserves.
 
This package also includes my Wildland Firefighter Safety legislation. 
 
Wildland firefighting and the safety of wildland firefighters is vitally important to our brave men and women who battle these blazes, and for the communities that depend on them. This legislation will improve accountability and transparency in wildland firefighter safety training programs.
 
Mr. President, through training and certification we can lower the risk to the brave men and women who protect our forests and communities. It’s critical that Congress is actively engaged to make sure this happens.
 
I’d also like to mention the three provisions in this package aimed and conserving and protecting our nation’s oceans and the communities that depend on them.
 
This is particularly important in these days of economic turmoil, as millions of Americans depend directly and indirectly on healthy oceans and coasts. 
 
Also, as our climate changes, we must work to address some of the issues that have the potential to affect millions of jobs.
 
That’s why I was thankful that Majority Leader Reid included several provisions in this package that address our oceans.
 
I am particularly thrilled about the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act. 
 
The world’s oceans are absorbing roughly 22 million tons of carbon dioxide every day, causing seawater chemistry to become more acidic – possibly withholding the basic chemical building blocks needed by many marine organisms. 
 
This Act creates a comprehensive national ocean acidification research and monitoring program that will take a hard look at the devastating impacts greenhouse gas emissions are having on our oceans. 
 
All of this could not have been accomplished without the strong support and hard work and dedication of the Majority Leader and I thank the Leader for successfully moving these priorities.
 
Today is a proud day for Congress, for Washington state, for our world's ocean and marine environments, and for some of the most breathtaking views and important legacies this nation has to offer. 
 
Because the steps we have taken in this package will protect our lands, our coastal areas, and our first responders.
 
Thank you Mr. President. I yield the floor."
 
 
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