01.31.07

Senate Committee Clears Cantwell Legislation to Create Ice Age Floods Trail

WASHINGTON, DC – Wednesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and cosponsored by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) to create an Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail through portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The full Senate and House must still approve the bill (S-268) before the president can sign it into law, but Committee passage represents an important step forward.

“We’re now one step closer to making this trail a reality,” said Cantwell. “Our region’s ice age flood legacy is etched all over the Pacific Northwest, and this trail will serve as a valuable learning tool to educate Americans on our unique geological history as well as boost local tourism.”

“Today’s action by the Committee brings us one step closer to telling the incredible story of the Ice Age Flood and the geologic history of the Pacific Northwest,” said Craig. “This bill represents a cooperative, on-the-ground, fiscally responsible effort and will ensure that the significance of the Ice Age Flood is not lost.”

“I am very pleased with the quick Senate action on S-268,” said Gary Kleinknecht, President of the Ice Age Floods Institute. “The Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail will bring a truly amazing story to the public. It will enhance the public’s understanding of how much of the Northwest was shaped by the awesome forces of nature. It will also provide economic opportunities with expanded tourism.” He added, “Less than a century ago the story of these cataclysmic floods was totally unknown. We are now on the threshold of sharing it with the world.”

The proposed trail—which will tell the story of how a series of monumental floods created the unique geology of Central and Eastern Washington—would be managed by the National Park Service in partnership with the Ice Age Floods Institute, participating states, tribes, and other local entities. Interpretive centers, signs and markers, exhibits, waysides, and roadside pullouts would be used to tell the story of the floods, provide educational opportunities, and help enhance regional tourism.

Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA) has introduced similar legislation in the House. The House and Senate approved slightly differing versions of the Cantwell-Hastings legislation last Congress, but differences between the two versions were not reconciled before Congress adjourned.

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