SAWS members:
In February 2009, our members received a SAWS Action Alert regarding the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) that had been recently reintroduced in the 111th Congress by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York. This new NREPA bill in this Congress is HR980.
Please review our previous alert from February 2009 at this link:
http://www.snowmobile-alliance.org/Action_Alerts/09/SAWS_Action_Alert_-_NREPA_introduced_in_111th_Congress.htm Recently, SAWS has been informed by Brian Hawthorne at the BlueRibbon Coalition, that there may be a committee hearing on NREPA the first week of May. This will not be the first time this legislation has had a committee hearing, but it is important that our elected representatives know how we feel about this lousy legislation. If you did not contact your U.S. Representative last February, or even if you did, it is important that you contact them again within the next week and tell them you do not support this legislation!
Link to look up and contact your US Representative:
Lookup your U.S. House Representative
Comment deadline: Sunday May 3, 2009
Recieved this alert today from SAWS.
NREPA will affect significant acreage (23 -24 millions acres) across the Intermountain and Western states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming as shown in the maps provided at this link:
http://www.wildrockiesalliance.org/issues/nrepa/mapIndex.shtml Here is a link to the tracking summary:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-980 You may also wish to take a few minutes to listen to SAWS chairman, Dave Hurwitz' interview with Lee Hinkelman in regards to the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. Dave makes excellent points on the distinction of what wilderness is as opposed to publicly managed lands. There is also mention of how stimulus monies are directed at tearing up 6000 miles of roads. Lee broadcasts from New York but recognizes the values we all hold with the power of our voice to our senators and representatives nationwide. NREPA will affect the entire country in some manner not just within the states where actual closures are proposed primarily in the West. Click on segments 3 and 4 from the Weekend of February 21, 2009 once you have linked to the connection:
http://www.bigfrog104.com/TipsforBetterLiving/SnowmobileOneidaCounty/SnowmobileShow/tabid/3397/Default.aspx Some of our newer SAWS members may also wish to review our SAWS alert from October 2007, just in case this is the first time you have heard about this outrageous legislation. SAWS has been opposing this legislation and informing our members about this proposal for many years:
http://www.snowmobile-alliance.org/Action_Alerts/07/SAWS_Action_Alert_-_Hearing_on_Northern_Rockies_Ecosystem_Protection_Act.htm If not you, who else will help stop this insanity?
Janine Stewart
Montana SAWS rep
Snowmobile Alliance of Western States
