Congress going wild over preserving wild areas

This year the House and Senate could place "as much as 2 million acres of unspoiled land under federal control, a total that rivals the wilderness acreage set aside by Congress over the previous five years," reports Juliet Eilperin in The Washington Post.

"A confluence of factors is driving this wilderness renaissance: the shift in Congress from Republican to Democratic control; environmentalists' decision to take a more pragmatic approach in which they enlist local support for their proposals by making concessions to opposing interests; and some communities' recognition that intact ecosystems can often offer a greater economic payoff than extractive industries."

While the Bush Administration is known for opening much federal land to mineral exploration, it is also interested in expanding wilderness areas, Eilperin writes, because the idea is supported by "local faith, business and hunting groups as well as GOP officeholders. And as Bush approaches the end of his second term, he is eyeing opportunities to leave his mark on the nation's landscape." (Read more)