Rep. Lummis, I would like your opinion on H.R. 4089: Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012.
According to a letter from the Congressional Research service to Rep. Martin Heinrich:
“The language [of this bill]could be construed as opening wilderness areas to virtually any activity related to hunting and fishing, even if otherwise inconsistent with wilderness values. Despite the Wilderness Act’s explicit ban on temporary and permanent roads, if H.R. 4089 were passed, roads arguably could be constructed in wilderness areas if they provided opportunity for hunting, fishing, and wildlife conservation. Off-road vehicles and other machines might be authorized under this provision, as well as additional commercially guided tours.” Source: http://www.eenews.net/assets/2012/04/16/document_pm_01.pdf
If this analysis is correct, could you support a bill that could authorize such things as creating an ATV trail to the top of Cloud Peak in the Big Horns or a landing strip and lodge on the Stough Creek Lakes in the Popo Augie Wilderness?
At age 62, I don’t have many more years of lugging a pack into these places, but I hope my grandchildren can still experience some part of the American West that remains untrammeled by machines and commercial enterprises.