From Peter DeFazio: Congressman DeFazio (D-Springfield) was pleased today by the full House passage of his bill, H.R. 3513, the Copper Salmon Wilderness Act of 2007. The Copper Salmon Wilderness Act would permanently protect nearly 13,000 acres in the headwaters of the Elk River on the southern coast of Oregon, and designate more than 11 additional miles of the river as either Wild or Scenic under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The legislation also protects some of the last remaining stands of Port-Orford-cedar in the Elk River watershed.
The Copper Salmon Wilderness Act must now be passed by the Senate before it can go to the President to be signed into law. Unfortunately, Tom Coburn, a senator from Oklahoma is holding up the works in the Senate. But Coburn is more like a speedbump than a roadblock, since this bill has the support of both Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith. It also has the support of the local chambers of commerce, Governor Kulongoski, the mayor of Port Orford Oregon and a slew of environmental and sportfishing organizations. For more info, check out the story in the Oregonian.
TU’s Mike Beagle and Sportsmen for Copper Salmon have worked hard to make this wilderness happen. Congratulations Mike on this first step to a big win for TU.
Posted in Legislation | Tags: oregon, conservation, fishing, salmon, DeFazio, Wilderness, Tom Coburn, Elk River
