Free wilderness bills

An Oklahoma senator blocks Oregon legislation

If any federal lawmaker ever deserved the collective stink eye from Oregonians, it’s U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, the Oklahoma Republican who is blocking two Oregon wilderness bills.

Last winter, Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith introduced a bill that would increase wilderness protections in the Mount Hood area by 125,000 acres and grant wild and scenic river protections to an additional 80 miles of Oregon rivers.

The Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007 passed in committee with bipartisan support. With backing from the Bush administration, it was on a fast track for passage. Then, at the last moment, Coburn put a hold on it, adding it to the long list of bills he is blocking because they call for new spending without offsetting cuts.

Now, the Copper Salmon Wilderness Act, which would set aside 13,700 acres of old growth at the headwaters of the Elk River in Southwestern Oregon, has met the same fate. The bill was headed for passage in the full Senate before it became the latest victim of a Coburn hold.

Coburn claims to act on principle, but it’s selectively applied. The Mount Hood bill would cost taxpayers $11 million over five years, and the Copper Salmon bill costs so little that the Congressional Budget Office says it’s revenue neutral. Yet Coburn is an unquestioning supporter of the war in Iraq, which is paid for by hundreds of billions of borrowed dollars without offsetting cuts.

Wyden and Smith must find a way to break Coburn’s holds and clear the way for Senate passage of the “Oregon Treasures” bill pending in the House.

Sponsored by Reps. Peter DeFazio and Earl Blumenauer, it would further expand the Mount Hood Wilderness, add to the Oregon Caves National Monument and enhance wild and scenic river protections on the Rogue River.

If Coburn refuses to yield, Wyden, Smith and other senators whose bills are being blocked should find the 60 votes to free their bills and send them to the Senate floor for the consideration they deserve. Nearly 25 years have passed since the last major wilderness expansion in Oregon. It’s time to end that drought — with or without Coburn’s help.