Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act

MONTANA, Feb 18 2009 (Neo Natura) - Undaunted by many years of failure, backers of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) have had it introduced once more into the 111th Congress.

And once more, the massive legislation is being billed as a jobs program, which should get more traction in the face of the current economic meltdown and rapidly rising unemployment.

“NREPA creates 2300 badly needed jobs now by employing people to restore over a million acres of old clearcuts and remove old logging roads, Michael Garrity, Executive Director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and one of the primary ball-carriers for the bill, said in today’s press release. “NREPA also would formally designate as wilderness all 24 million acres of inventoried roadless areas in the Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon and eastern Washington.”

"Many of America’s most precious natural resources and wildlife are found in the Northern Rockies,” said Maloney. “NREPA would help protect those resources by drawing wilderness boundaries according to science, not politics. NREPA would also help reduce global warming by protecting the corridors through which vulnerable wildlife can migrate to cooler areas.”

“I am proud to cosponsor this legislation to protect the Northern Rocky Mountains, one of America’s great natural areas,” added Grijalva, who recently lost out to Colorado’s Ken Salazar to be Secretary of the Interior. “A bold plan is needed to preserve and protect what remains of the Lewis and Clark legacy, and this bill would do just that.”

One of the points of criticism of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) is confusion over what lands are really covered by the massive proposal. The Alliance for the Wild Rockies, one of the main architects and ball carriers of NREPA, has addressed that point by posting a detailed list of roadless lands affected by the bill.

Specifically, NREPA would:

• Designate as wilderness 24 million acres of ecosystems and watersheds in the Northern Rockies;
  
• Connect natural, biological corridors, ensuring the continued existence of native plants and animals and mitigating the effects of global warming;
  
• Restore habitat that has been severely damaged from roads that were built, creating more than 2,300 jobs and leading to a more sustainable economic base in the region;

• Keep water available for ranchers and farmers downstream until it is most needed; and
  
• Eliminate subsidized development in the designated wilderness areas, saving taxpayers $245 million over a 10-year period.

As with past introduction of NREPA no U.S. Senator or Representative from Idaho, Montana or Wyoming has offiically supported the bill.