An Obama Idaho wilderness push? Not likely

By rights, GOP Rep. Mike Simpson’s carefully crafted Boulder-White Clouds wilderness bill should have long since become law. But environmentalists are grasping at straws in their latest bid to get this decadelong wilderness campaign off dead center. They hope the Obama administration will come to the rescue. The scenario goes something like this: By mid-month, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is expected to issue a report to Congress listing public lands “crown jewels” that are ripe for wilderness designation. Environmentalists are hoping Central Idaho’s Boulder-White Clouds makes the list — and that this “crown jewels” inventory gets worked up into an omnibus wilderness bill. The premise, John Robison of the Idaho Conservation League said in a Statesman editorial board meeting last week, is to build on conservation efforts that cross party lines. There is precedent for an omnibus bill. A 2009 public lands package created nearly 2 million acres of wilderness — including the 517,000-acre Owyhee wilderness shepherded by Idaho Republican Sen. Mike Crapo. And even if the Obama administration goes this route, I’m not sure the Boulder-White Clouds bill is such an obvious component. For all of its artful attempts at balance, this bill has faced considerable opposition from off-road vehicle enthusiasts. Consequently, the bill has split the state’s political leadership; Gov. Butch Otter, Sen. Jim Risch and 1st Congressional District Rep. Raul Labrador have opposed it. What does the White House gain from picking this fight?...more