From: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Subject: Now that the dust has settled Date: 03 Apr 1996 13:33:13 MST7MDT *************************************************************** SUWA and UWC Informational Bulletin Help Protect Utah's Wild Lands *************************************************************** April 3, 1996 Folks-- In this message: [1] a recap of last week [2] we oughta thank.. [3] some quotable quotes [4] special for Utah subscribers: meet and greet Mr. Anti Wilderness, Senator Bob Bennett. [5] sometimes we forget... Hope y'all got into the redrock country or skiing or out somewhere this past weekend to celebrate your hard work and the great outcome of all our collective efforts to defeat the Hansen/Hatch Utah Anti-Wilderness Bill. Now that the dust has settled somewhat, this is a good time to review what has happened, and what we should expect to happen next. {1} Recap of last week Last Wednesday ( some wags are calling it Red Rock Wednesday ) the US Senate voted not to end debate on the Utah anti-wilderness bill, sponsored by Sens Hatch and Bennett. In so doing, the senate allowed the filibuster led by Sen Bill Bradley of NJ to continue. The Omnibus Parks bills, which the Utah bill was a part of, was pulled from the floor and may not be seen again this year. This was a stunning victory for the Utah Wilderness Coalition ( 114 groups at last count!), and for the environmental community in general. They needed 60 votes to break our filibuster ( talking a bill to death a la "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") and could only scrape up 51! It was also a humiliating defeat for Sen Hatch, who was speechless with anger and embarrassment, after having confidently predicted easy passage for months. After realizing that his bad bill was so outrageous it couldn't pass on it's own, he had to stoop to the Trojan Horse method of the Omnibus parks bill. By lumping together dozens of pet projects for his colleagues, he thought he could slide this wilderness wolf through the senate under a pile of sheep skin. When Senator Bradley of NJ stepped up to lead the filibuster against the package, in effect losing his own Sterling Forest bill. Not to brag too much, folks, but the fact is we took on the biggest heavyweights the developers and their friends could elect to Congress and blew them out of the water on their own turf. Be proud of what we have done, and remember it next time they look like they have all the momentum on their side. Just last September, we had all but written off winning in the House of Representatives and thought winning in the Senate as a long shot. Today we can look at solid wins in both chambers. What will happen now? Well, the Utah delegation is continuing to look for ways to slide this through. Time is running short, but they won't give up yet. The senate will probably be the place they try again first, since Hansen really shot himself in the foot in December by having to pull his bill for lack of votes 20 minutes before debate was to begin. The House leaders probably aren't going to give him time to try again unless the Senate passes their version first. We'll let you know as soon as something happens. [2] We oughta thank... Before we get on to newspaper reports of the vote, stop what you're doing, pick up the phone, and thank Senator Bradley for having the courage to let his own bill go down in flames so he could stop the destruction of our desert lands in Utah. To call Washington Toll Free 800-962-3524 or 800-972-3524. Ask for Senator Bradley's office, and tell the folks there thanks for everything he's done for Utah. [3] OK, that done, some quotes Desert News, Wednesday, March 27th headline--"Wilds Bill Goes Down In Flames" by Lee Davison The Utah Wilderness bill dies in Congress Wednesday, although supporters are holding out slim hopes for resurrection. An autopsy will show two main contributing causes of death: First, vigorous, well-organized opposition by environmentalists [that's you, folks] and second, some Democratic maneuvering aimed to embarrass apparent GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole... "Our wilderness bill is probably dead for the year, but we always have hope" said Sen Orin Hatch, R-Utah. Bennett added "It would be tough to pass it this year now." Salt Lake Tribune, 3/31/96 All in all it was a wild week for Utah's wild lands. After 18 years of inventorying and wrangling, a summer of public hearings, months of veto threats and a two-day filibuster, the Utah congressional delegations's wilderness bill was bushwhacked Sunday by the Senate. And for once, environmentalists and the delation agreed on something: The former had outgunned the latter. "It was a mismatch," Utah GOP Sen. Bob Bennett said. "They didn't have the best argument, but they had the best horsepower." [4] Special message to subscribers in Utah: Meet Mr. Anti-Wilderness Sen Bob Bennett live next week, plus Wilderness Rally and Door Hanging Event Next Sat. Take this chance to go to a town meeting with Senator Bennett Tuesday and Wednesday in Salt Lake. This would be a wonderful opportunity to ask Mr. Bennett a few questions about all the statements he made recently about the Utah delegation's terrible wilderness bill and its opponents. The meetings are Tuesday, April 9 Army National Guard, Salt Lake Armory #3 North Bldg, 750 Guardsman Way (1600 East) in SLC, Wednesday, April 10 Retirement Inn at Cottonwood Creek, 1245 E Murray Holiday Rd (4780 South) Call Erin Moore at the SUWA office in Salt Lake at 486-3161 for more info and arraignments for posters/ buttons Next Saturday, April 13th, join the Sierra Club/ Utah Wilderness Coalition for a day of wilderness celebration and action. Meet in Sugarhouse park, north west pavilion, at 10:30 am. Plan on visiting with other folks who care about Utah, then spending a couple hours going through Salt Lake neighborhoods dropping off information about environmental issues. Meet back at the park for a picnic ( BYO munchies) Call Liz McCoy at 801-486-2872 for details. email her at liz.mccoy@sierraclub.org [5] Sometimes we forget... One last thought: As you've read here, this Utah Wilderness Coalition has done an amazing job fighting for our red rock country. With over 110 member groups, representing a million members, it is the one of the brightest lights in the environmental movement today. Holding that whole, huge, sometimes fractious coalition together is Liz McCoy the UWC's energetic grassroots coordinator, and only employee. Imagine: 110 bosses, all with different ideas and suggestions. Because she works for all of those groups, and none of them, Liz doesn't often get the recognition she deserves for her hard work and commitment. One little anecdote illustrates Liz's dedication well: in Salt Lake last summer, after being on a river trip for 11 days, she was told that she would need to be in Washington, to help organize the fight here. *In 72 hours,* she unpacked from one trip, packed for another (she had no idea how long she would be here in DC ), rented her house and left town to live in a cramped apartment with no air conditioning. She didn't get back to her own house and fresh threads for 5 months, and never complained about it. How many of us would be willing to do the same? Drop her a line at the above, or write 406 C. St, NW Washington, DC 20002, and let her know you appreciate what she's been doing for all of us. She's a force of nature, and we're lucky she's on *our* side. Well--that was a long one. Thanks again for all you do, folks. We'll keep you posted. That's all for now... ********************************************************************* This wilderness alert is produced by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) and the Utah Wilderness Coalition (UWC). We are dedicated to the preservation of Utah's redrock wilderness. You can learn more about SUWA from our web site at: http://www.xmission.com/~suwa/ Visit the Utah Wilderness web site at: http://acs1.byu.edu/~wildweb/welcome.html If you want to join our list, send e-mail to: utah_wilderness-request@xmission.com with the word "subscribe" (and only that word) in the body of your e-mail message. If you have any questions or problems regarding the mailing list, please send a message to suwa@xmission.com. ********************************************************************* For immediate information on Utah wilderness issues, phone: Tom Price (202) 546-2215; e-mail cloud@CapAccess.org or Liz McCoy (801) 486-2872; e-mail liz.mccoy@sierraclub.org You can also phone the Salt Lake City SUWA office at (801) 486-3161; e-mail suwa@xmission.com. *********************************************************************