Champions of designating new wilderness in Idaho have strong allies in the 110th session of Congress.
However, before it can be reconsidered, the proposed Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (CIEDRA) will likely have to go through a series of revisions at the hands of now Democrat-controlled subcommittees, said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. CIEDRA, which Simpson reintroduced into the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 4, would designate three new wilderness areas totaling more than 319,000 acres in the Boulder and White Cloud mountains, north of Ketchum.
Simpson made his comments while attending the Idaho Conservation League's Wild Idaho Conference at Redfish Lake Lodge near Stanley on Sunday, May 20. The conference drew more than 100 supporters of the Boise-based conservation organization.
While taking part in a three-person panel on wilderness, Simpson said he remains just as optimistic about the passage of CIEDRA as he was during the 109th Congress.
"I have the same high hopes," he said.
The other two people on the panel were ICL Central Idaho Director Linn Kincannon and Marcia Argust, government affairs representative for the Campaign for America's Wilderness in Washington, D.C.
Simpson said that although many Democrats share his desire to see CIEDRA pass, they've expressed reservations about some aspects of the bill, Simpson said. Therefore, he said, the bill will have to be tweaked if it is to succeed.
"I'm sure there will be some modifications," he said.
Still, Simpson said, the delicate balance he's achieved between normally wilderness-wary types and wilderness supporters must be maintained. If Democrats ask for too many changes to CIEDRA, they will threaten to derail its broad base of support, he said.
"We've put together a pretty good coalition," Simpson said.
He said those stakeholders need to feel their concerns are being considered if their support for CIEDRA is to continue.
"They have to see the benefit."
In its current form, CIEDRA would give away more than 5,000 acres of public land, mostly to Custer County and its municipalities, for economic development purposes.
Simpson said another stumbling block is opposition from singer-songwriter Carole King, who resides in Custer County. King is a friend of Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., he said.
As chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rahall is a key decider on the fate of wilderness legislation such as CIEDRA, as well as the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA), an alternative bill King supports, Simpson said.
NREPA would designate some 23 million acres of new wilderness in the states of Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington and Oregon. The bill would designate far more acreage in the Boulder-White Clouds area than CIEDRA would.
Because of his friendship with King, Rahall feels an obligation to give NREPA a hearing ahead of CIEDRA, Simpson said.
"They feel like they have to give her bill a shot," he said.
Regardless, Simpson expressed optimism for CIEDRA.
"We'll get it done," he predicted. "It's not one huge jump, it's little steps."
Commenting on CIEDRA's chances, the Campaign for America's Wilderness' Marcia Argust noted that several pieces of wilderness legislation are considered to be a higher priority for Rahall and the House Natural Resources Committee. Those include bills in Washington, Oregon and Virginia, she said.
Despite the challenges and delays she expects it to face, Simpson's bill has a good chance of succeeding, Argust said.
"I feel confident we are going to see CIEDRA pass this Congress," she said.
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho
