I probably won't either, but...
I was reminded after reading this.(and yes I remember our disscusion:-)...
King testifies against Simpson's wilderness bill
By Matthew Daly
Associated Press writer
WASHINGTON -- Singer Carole King fumbled with the microphone Thursday as she testified against a bill to create more protected wilderness in her home state of Idaho.
"I should be used to these things," she joked, as she pulled the microphone closer. "But usually there are more friendly faces" in crowds at her concerts.
King was referring to the Republican-controlled House Resources Committee, which was considering the wilderness bill at a public hearing. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, sponsored the measure as a way to protect 300,000 acres in central Idaho while opening another 130,000 acres of federal land for logging, off-road vehicles and other development.
King and Simpson are friendly, but disagree on the bill, which King says does not go far enough in making sure the land in the Boulder and White Cloud mountains is actually safe.
"This wilderness is weak. It's not worth the price," she said. "It's like making do with a hand towel when you need a warm blanket on a cold night."
King, 63, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame known for such classics as "I Feel the Earth Move" and "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman," is no stranger to Washington.
She performs frequently in the D.C. area and returns to the Capitol every year to lobby for alternative legislation, a sweeping "Rockies Prosperity" bill that would designate wilderness and other protections in five Western states.
Simpson's bill would set aside about 300,000 acres in the Sawtooth National Forest and other federal lands as new wilderness while giving local governments millions of dollars in compensation plus an estimated 6,000 acres in public land to develop as they see fit.
King and other opponents believe the bill is larded with provisions that threaten protection of the recreation area, a rugged 756,000-acre section of jagged peaks set aside for preservation by Congress in the 1970s.
King, who has lived in Idaho for 28 years, said she is proud of rural Custer County and noted that she still votes by paper ballot in the nearby town of Clayton. A sign near her house says "Welcome to Challis, Gateway to Wilderness," King said. "It does not say 'Gateway to Off-Road Vehicle Trails.' "
Simpson said he knows the bill is not perfect, but told King, "If you are waiting for the perfect bill, it does not exist."
Snowmobile enthusiasts and other groups that want more active use of the land also oppose the bill, Simpson said, calling it a careful compromise that protects wilderness while promoting economic development in a rural area dominated by federally owned land.
The bill tries to address a host of interests, from off-road enthusiasts to ranchers, hikers and miners, as well as those who desire pure wilderness, Simpson said.
"The old approach to wilderness of sacrificing the needs of individuals and specific user groups to the benefit of others will not work anymore," he said.
Other environmental groups welcomed the measure as a first step to resolve three decades of land-use conflicts in an area that contains the highest peaks in the state, popular snowmobile and off-road-vehicle trails, historic ranches and scenic grandeur.
"Congressman Simpson's legislation would provide much needed protection to Idaho's Boulder-White Clouds region, and there are many significant, positive benefits provided by this legislation," said Craig Gehrke, Idaho director of The Wilderness Society.
His group opposes certain portions of the bill, Gehrke said, but has pledged to work with Simpson to "produce a bill that we can fully support."
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