Wild Sky Wilderness

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 822, the Wild Sky Wilderness Act, which would create over 100,000 acres of new Washington wilderness. This legislation is the first National Forest Wilderness proposal for Washington State in 19 years. The Wild Sky Wilderness Act would add the roadless areas of Washington's scenic Skykomish River Valley to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

As the ranking member of the House Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Forest and Forest Health, I worked with the sponsors of the bill to finally get a hearing for this legislation in the committee. I have been working to get the House to consider the original, Senate-passed, version of this bill. I have also been working to get the House Resources Committee to consider a compromise version of the Wild Sky Wilderness Act. I do not believe the parts of Wild Sky should be parsed out with alternative designations.