Wilderness designation for parts of Olympic National Forest approved by House, barring logging
Logging and building roads in more than 125,000 acres of the Olympic National Forest would be illegal under federal law in a bill passed by the House this week.
The land within the Olympic National Forest is already protected federal land. Under Forest Service rules loggers, cannot currently use it and roads cannot be built on it.
But the legislation would make that rule a federal law, preventing future presidential administrations from being able to change those rules unilaterally.
The House passed the protections Tuesday as an amendment attached to the National Defense Authorization Act, a budget bill that Congress is required to pass. The Senate has not passed its version yet. The bills will likely look different and have to be sent to conference to resolve the differences.
If it is passes and is signed by President Donald Trump, 126,500 acres and 464 river miles in the Olympic National Forest will be designated wilderness.
“As someone who grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, I learned first-hand that economic growth and environmental protection go hand-in-hand,” Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, a main advocate for the protections, said in a statement. “Adding this practical, balanced strategy to today’s bill will help us protect some of the most environmentally sensitive places on the Peninsula. It will also ensure we can keep and grow jobs in our natural resource industries and other sectors.”
In a statement Wednesday, advocacy group Wild Olympics Campaign praised the bill as something that would “permanently preserve ancient and mature forests, critical salmon habitat, and sources of clean drinking water for local communities, while also protecting and expanding world-class outdoor recreation opportunities like hiking, camping, boating, hunting, and fishing.”
“No roads would be closed, and trailhead access would not be affected,” the group added.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 3:25 PM.