PRESS RELEASE April 20, 2007

Carole King Joins Reps. Maloney and Shays in Support of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act

Congresswoman Maloney 202 225-7944

Michael Garrity,
Executive Director,
Alliance for the Wild Rockies 406 459-5936 

Steve Kelly, Alliance for the Wild Rockies 406 586-4421

Gary MacFarlane, President, Alliance for the Wild Rockies 208 882-9755

Washington, D.C. – Music legend Carole King joined Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) today to announce the introduction of the bipartisan Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.  NREPA will designate all of the inventoried roadless areas in the Northern Rockies as wilderness, protect some of America's most beautiful and ecologically important lands while saving taxpayers money and creating jobs.

NREPA will protect as wilderness nearly 7 million acres of wilderness in Montana, 9.5 million acres of wilderness in Idaho, 5 million acres of wilderness in Wyoming, 750,000 acres in eastern Oregon, and 500,000 acres in eastern Washington on federal public land. Included in this total is over 3 million acres in Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks.

The Northern Rockies is the only place in the lower 48 states where native species and wildlife are protected on lands that are virtually unchanged since Lewis and Clark saw them.  This is public land belonging to all Americans.  NREPA designates all of the remaining roadless lands in the Northern Rockies as wilderness, the strongest protection the federal government can confer on public lands.  NREPA does not affect private land.
 
NREPA establishes a pilot wildland recovery system. Over 6,000 miles of damaging or unused roads will be restored to roadless conditions, providing employment for over 2,000 workers while saving tax-dollars from subsidized development.

"Many of America's most precious natural resources and wildlife are found in the Northern Rockies,” said Rep. Maloney.  “NREPA has always been ahead of its time by drawing wilderness boundaries according to science, not politics.  NREPA would also help mitigate the effects of global warming by protecting the corridors through which vulnerable wildlife can migrate to cooler areas."
 
Rep. Shays added, “The Northern Rocky Mountains are one of
America’s great wilderness preserves--a living treasure, and home to a critical component of the continent’s ecosystem. It is imperative we preserve and protect our environment.  We simply will not have a world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways.”
 
“The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act protects public land owned by all Americans and saves taxpayers money. Its time has come,” stated Carole King.

"Congresswoman Maloney and Congressman Shays are to be commended for taking the lead on clean national-interest legislation that benefits the entire country," said Steve Kelly, of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies.
 
Grizzly bears, caribou, elk, bison, wolves, bull trout and salmon still thrive in the Northern Rockies.  The bill seeks to safeguard both these species and the lands on which they live. 
 
“The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act will create high paying jobs by recovering old roads and clearcuts, save taxpayers money and protect the environment,” said Michael Garrity, Executive Director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies.

NREPA would save taxpayers $245 million over a ten-year period by managing the land as wilderness.  Additionally, more than 2,300 jobs would be created in the region through NREPA’s program to restore
Northern Rockies habitats to their natural state.
 
Wilderness guide/outfitter Howie Wolke of the Paradise Valley notes that "This is our chance to do it right. NREPA represents a rapidly fading opportunity to prevent more endangered species listings, more resource extraction-induced watershed disasters, more soil destruction and noise pollution from all terrain vehicles, and more losses of the irreplaceable values that we in the Northern Rockies hold dear. And equally important, it a chance to avoid all of the expensive band-aid mitigation measures plus the controversy and polarization that are inevitable when we fail to properly protect the habitat to begin with."

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act:
 
Connects natural, biological corridors, ensuring the continued existence of native plants and animals and mitigating the effects of global warming;

Restores 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;
 
Keeps water available for ranchers and farmers downstream until it is most needed; and

Eliminates subsidized development in the designated wilderness areas, saving taxpayers $245 million over a 10-year period.
 

More information about the Northern Rockies Ecosystem protection Act can be found at http://www.wildrockies.org/nrepa/

The bill can be found at http://www.wildrockiesalliance.org/issues/nrepa/NREPA2007_finaldraft.pdf

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