Custer-Gallatin National Forest next to Yellowstone National Park – photo by Custer-Gallatin National Forest
On Thursday, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Madeleine Dean reintroduced the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act in the U.S. Senate (S. 1198) and in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 2420) with fifteen original cosponsors across both chambers.
The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act will designate approximately 23 million acres of inventoried roadless areas in the Northern Rockies as wilderness. NREPA (Ner-EEpa) will preserve a vital ecosystem and watersheds in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Eastern Washington, and Oregon. It will also preserve biological corridors that are essential for biodiversity of native species.
We are so proud of Senator Whitehouse and Congresswoman Dean for standing up for a climate solution that protects public land, water, and interconnected species ranging from tiny insects, birds, and fish to mammals, plants, bushes, and huge trees with massive root systems that store carbon.
These legislators know that removing the words ‘climate change’ from government studies and documents won’t make the world cooler in any sense of the word. They know that forests are the best carbon storage device in the world. And without NREPA’s protection, the photo below shows what’s been happening in our national forests.
Helena National Forest land owned by all Americans – photo by Vicki Anfinson
NREPA saves the federal government millions of dollars annually by reducing wasteful subsidies to the logging industry. It also closes unintended legal loopholes that have left many of the areas protected by the Clinton Roadless Rule vulnerable to clearcutting and roadbuilding.
By introducing NREPA, Congresswoman Dean and Senator Whitehouse are saying NO to the timber industry executives and others who misinform the public while enriching themselves. And Senator Whitehouse and Congresswoman Dean are saying YES to preserving carbon storage and slowing climate change.
Simply by designating existing roadless areas as Wilderness, NREPA protects the environment, fights climate change, creates jobs, and saves taxpayers millions of dollars in logging subsidies.
It is time to start protecting ecosystems, which will keep species from going extinct.
Carole King is a singer, songwriter, and longtime advocate for preserving this ecosystem.
Mike Garrity is the Executive Director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies
