Congress OKs vast land protections

State environmental groups on Wednesday celebrated a long-anticipated win in Congress for legislation that would place new protections on chunks of federal land in Southwest Virginia.

After stops and starts, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act cleared the House and heads to President Barack Obama, who has signaled support. The Senate approved the legislation earlier this month.

The bill would create new wilderness territory or expand existing wilderness areas in Jefferson National Forest as well as designate new national scenic areas. In all, more than 50,000 acres of national forest stand to receive federal protection.

Wilderness designation allows hunting and hiking, for example, but bars development, road-building and use of mechanized equipment, including mountain bikes and chain saws.

“It’s a recognition by many people that the supply of really untouched land in the national forest is quite limited and that if we don’t do something about it now there’s probably not going to be any of it left in years to come,” said Jim Murray of Charlottesville, a co-founder of the Virginia Wilderness Committee. The group has worked since 1969 to protect public lands in Virginia.

David Carr, public lands director for the Charlottesville-based Southern Environmental Law Center, said the land is important for recreation uses including hunting, fishing, hiking and camping.

“These are special areas,” he said. “It’s also just important to have some areas set aside in their natural state for people of all ages and future generations to enjoy.”

The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act dates back several years and was originally proposed by former U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon.

The proposal hit snags in previous sessions of Congress. Last year, backers of the act and dozens of other bills with environmental and outdoors connections folded the separate bills into a single “omnibus” act.

That legislation passed the Senate but failed on its first pass through the House this month.

The package of 170 bills is described by supporters as one of the most significant pieces of conservation legislation in decades. In addition to designating 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states, it includes protections for miles of rivers, battlefields and other public lands.

Opponents said the act would block far too much land with potential for oil and gas exploration at a time when the country needs more options for producing domestic energy. And some criticized the omnibus package approach as pushing through many bills without being closely vetted individually.

“Our nation can’t afford to shut down the creation of jobs for jobless Americans, and we can’t afford to become even more dependent on foreign sources of energy,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.

The bill “even locks up federal lands from renewable energy production, including wind and solar,” he said.

The last wilderness areas created in Virginia by Congress are located in Nelson County – The Priest and Three Ridges Wilderness in the George Washington National Forest. They were designated in 2000.

“It’s been a long time,” Murray said. “The principal point is that this is the strongest form of protection that any federal land can achieve.”

If signed by the president, the Ridge and Valley Act will create seven new wilderness areas in parts of the counties of Bland, Craig, Grayson, Giles, Lee, Montgomery and Smyth. It also will expand the acreage of six existing wilderness areas and create two national scenic areas.

The scenic area designation is less restrictive, allowing mountain biking, for example, and some vehicle access.

Boucher and Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, voted for the omnibus package and described the Virginia bill as key to growing tourism.

“It’s really protecting our beautiful natural heritage here for generations,” Perriello said. “Tourism continues to be a great part of our economy, including in some areas that have been hit hard.”

Boucher said he’s confident the designations will boost tourism.

“We can ensure that rare and endangered species … and old-growth timber … will be preserved and then be available for recreation by our local public and by visitors to our region,” Boucher said. “And I am confident that these areas will stimulate our tourism economy.”

Virginia’s House delegation voted in favor of the act, except Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke; Eric I. Cantor, R-Henrico; and Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake.

J. Todd Foster of the Bristol Herald Courier and the Associated Press contributed to this story.