Wilderness & Land Preservation News

Search this section • RSS Feed

Environment Washington Praises House Lifting BP Liability Limit and Investing in Our Treasured Lands and Waters, Pans Hypocrisy of Lifting Deep Water Moratorium	2010-07-30
Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation responding to the ongoing BP oil spill. The CLEAR Act (H.R.3534) will require oil companies to pay for environmental damage caused by spills, reform oil drilling oversight, end some loopholes in environmental rules for on-shore oil and gas drilling, and provide permanent funding for land and water conservation. Before it passed, however, the House added an amendment offered by Representatives Melancon and Childers that would allow deep water drilling to resume before the end of the administration’s six-month moratorium.
Environment Washington Urges Obama Administration to Expand Mt. Rainier National Park	2010-07-01
As the Obama administration continued listening sessions on their America’s Great Outdoors initiative, Environment Washington is urging officials to save the best of Washington and expand Mt. Rainier National Park to protect one of the nation’s last inland rainforests from logging and development.
Environment Washington Urges Passage of Wilderness Protection Bill	2010-03-16
Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 1769, The Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act, sponsored by Representative Dave Reichert (R-WA).
Washington Forests May Fall Under the Ax	2009-04-16
In a new report, titled "Quietly Paving Paradise," Environment Washington found that nearly 90,000 acres of undeveloped national forest areas across the country that support clean water and critical wildlife have scheduled logging projects moving forward. Washington forests could soon be among those scheduled for commercial logging right under the nose of the new administration starting this spring.
2.7 Billion Dollars at Stake in Washington's National Forests	2007-09-27
Seattle, WA â€“ Washington is home to several of the nationâ€™s most beautiful and important national forests. These forests provides the stateâ€™s residents with some of the highest quality recreation areas and our stateâ€™s economy with an important source of revenue. Unfortunately, logging in Washingtonâ€™s national forests jeopardizes $2.7 billion per year in Washington business from transportation, lodging, equipment, and licenses for activities such as fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching, according to a new report released today by Environment Washington.
Senate Votes To Protect Arctic Refuge	2005-12-21
Today's vote to strike Arctic Refuge drilling language from the Department of Defense appropriation bill is a huge win for America's Arctic and for the American public. Americans strongly oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge, and this week they have made their voices heard and beaten back perhaps the most cynical attempt yet to drill in one of AmericaÂ¹s last wild places.
Bush Plan to Repeal Forest Protections Draws Unprecedented Opposition in Washington State: New Report Underscores Values of Washingtonâ€™s Wild Forests	2004-11-15
SEATTLEâ€”On the final day of the public comment period on the Bush administrationâ€™s controversial proposal to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a local coalition of sportsmen, religious leaders, businesses, recreational users and conservationists announced that a record-breaking 1.5 million Americans nationally and more than 60,000 in Washington State alone have spoken out against weakening protections for 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in national forests. This brings the total number of comments in support of the 2001 Roadless Rule, which was enacted in January 2001, to more than four million nationally and more than 140,000 from Washington over the last three years. In addition, during the comment period, more than 140 members of Congress, 130 scientists, and 110 economists spoke out in opposition to the proposal to repeal the rule.
Sportsmen, Environmentalists Assail Bush Administration National Forest Giveaway	2004-07-27
SEATTLEâ€”Sportsmen, religious leaders, concerned Republicans, and environmentalists joined forces today to launch a drive to collect comments from one million Americans opposing the Bush administration's proposal to repeal protections for 58.5 million acres of pristine national forests.
Abandoned Mines Contaminating Washington, Group Says: WashPIRG Calls On Mining Industry To Fund Cleanup	2004-07-14
SEATTLEâ€”A new report released today by the Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG) shows that there are 3,800 abandoned metal mines in Washington State, most of which have never been assessed for their impacts on the environment. The report, entitled "Washington Undermined," warns of overlooked and ongoing pollution of the state's watersheds from heavy metals leaching from these mines. WashPIRG asserts that too little is being done to identify contaminated mines and protect the public health.
Bush Administration Moves To Repeal Protection For Pristine National Forests	2004-07-12
The Bush administration announced today its proposal to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which was enacted in January 2001 to protect 58.5 million acres of pristine national forests from most logging and road-building â€“ including approximately 2 million acres in Washington State. The administration instead would require governors to petition for protections for national forests in their states, although there is no guarantee that protection would be granted.
Taxpayers And America's Tongass Rainforest Win In Late Night House Vote	2004-06-16
We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for voting to pass the Chabot (R-OH) - Andrews (D-NJ) amendment to the FY2005 Interior Appropriations bill to stop taxpayer subsidies for construction of new logging roads in the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass is America's largest national forest and the biggest intact temperate rainforest left in the world. In the past 20 years, the Forest Service has lost more than $750 million of taxpayer money by building roads to allow private companies to log in the Tongass.
Senator Cantwell, Representative Inslee Lead National Call for Bush Administration to Uphold Pledge on Roadless Rule	2004-05-05
WASHINGTON, DCâ€”Members of Congress, including Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA01), joined environmental groups in Washington, D.C., today to call on the Bush administration to protect roadless areas in our national forests.
Washingtonâ€™s National Forest Roads in Ruin	2004-04-01
Seattle Wash.â€”A report released today by Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) details the extensive disrepair of the USDA National Forest road system. The report comes just weeks before the Bush administration is set to change the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and shows that the road maintenance and capital improvement backlog has reached a record $10 billion. Washington, California, Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah account for over $7 billion of the $10 billion backlog.
Bush Administration Rolls Back Mining Pollution Controls	2003-10-10
Seattleâ€”Local environmentalists decried a new opinion issued today by Interior Secretary Gale Norton that will permit unlimited toxic waste dumping by mining companies, such as Kinross Gold Corporation, which yesterday announced that it sought to acquire the right to mine gold from the old Crown Jewel site on Buckhorn Mountain in the Okanogan National Forest.