[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 97 (Thursday, July 12, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1325-E1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE PILOT RANGE WILDERNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES V. HANSEN

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2001

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to introduce the Pilot 
Range Wilderness Act which designates lands within the Pilot Peak range 
as wilderness.
  My home state of Utah is blessed with some of the most beautiful 
scenery this country has to offer. While we often disagree on the best 
way to preserve these lands for future generations, sometimes those 
disagreements are used by outside groups to infer that there is only 
one way to protect these lands and that is wilderness designation. I 
have often disagreed with those that take this position, and on 
occasion with great fervor. I believe all of us agree that preservation 
is, indeed, a noble goal. Many of my friends from the east come to 
Utah, see the wonders of nature we have there, and want so much to 
protect it that they advocate placing a good deal in not all of its 
into wilderness.
  Wilderness designation taken to the extreme would severely harm the 
local economies and restrict the ability of land managers and local 
governments to best manage these lands. However, there are certain 
areas where wilderness is the best way to assure the preservation of 
the land's natural beauty and the unique historical and geological 
nature of these lands. One of those areas in Utah is the Pilot Range in 
the west desert of Box Elder County. With that in mind, I am proud to 
introduce a bill which would classify certain areas in the Pilot Range 
as wilderness.
  Mr. Speaker, when one hears the great conservationists of our day 
speak of the natural treasures of this nation, one could very well be 
hearing a description of the Pilot Range. The top of the range provides 
a majestic view of the sun rising over the Rocky Mountains and Great 
Salt Lake in the East as well as the spectacular view of sunsets across 
the flats of Nevada. Elk and deer roam the valleys and canyons of the 
range, and threatened cutthroat trout makes its home in the Bettridge 
Creek, the largest in the range.
  This is land rugged enough to test the mettle of any hearty 
adventurer. These mountains served as a guide to the Donner Party as 
they crossed the great salt flats of the Great Basin. Its streams and 
springs provided refreshment and a place of refuge for weary travelers. 
When standing on these peaks, as I have done many times, one can sense 
the solitude that very few places in this country can match. As 
wilderness, this land will continue to offer those willing to challenge 
its rugged terrain a breathtaking view of nature's glory, as well as 
multiple recreational opportunities, such as hiking, camping and 
horseback riding.
  Given the fact that these lands are adjacent to the Utah Test and 
Training Range, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that wilderness 
designation and the role and mission of the UTTR remains compatible. We 
have worked to ensure that valid existing rights and the traditional 
and historical use of these lands is protected while removing any 
remaining obstacles to wilderness designation.
  I was proud to introduce the Utah Wilderness Act in 1984. In my 21 
years in Congress,

[[Page E1326]]

I have had the opportunity to designate and protect more wilderness 
across the country than almost any other member of Congress. I believe 
strongly in wilderness designation when it is compatible, when the 
lands fit the criteria according to the definitions of the 1964 Act and 
wilderness the highest and best use of the public lands. The bill I am 
introducing today reflects my belief that wilderness designation is the 
best way to protect the Pilot Range and I hope my colleagues will 
support me in that effort.

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