Bill protects Methow Headwaters from future mining
Permanent protection from mining for the upper Methow Valley is only a presidential signature away from reality.
The Methow Headwaters Protection Act, which would ban mining on approximately 531 square miles of U.S. Forest Service land in rugged mountains surrounding Mazama, was included in the legislative package of bills protecting public lands, water and natural resources that won approval from the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday (Feb. 26).
By a vote of 363 to 62, the House passed the Natural Resources Management Act, the most sweeping public lands conservation legislation considered by Congress in more than a decade. The bipartisan legislation bundles together 110 bills that include the Methow Headwaters Protection Act. The legislation passed the Senate earlier this month and now goes to the president for his signature to become law.
Tuesday’s House approval is a major milestone for Methow Valley residents who have lobbied for more than three years to gain federal protection for 340,079 acres of scenic and rugged lands at the headwaters of the Methow River. The potential for mining on public land in the vicinity of Mazama sparked the creation of the Methow Headwaters Campaign, a local grassroots organization that has pushed for federal action to withdraw the land in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest from future mineral exploration and mining.
“This is truly a historic moment,” said Maggie Coon of Twisp, a leader of the Headwaters Campaign. “It is a magnificent testament to our ability as a Methow Valley community to unify and to raise our voices for the future we want. I am confident that this historic outcome will shape the future of our valley in ways we have yet to imagine.”
Co-sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), the Natural Resources Management Act — also known as the “Public Lands Package” — easily passed the Senate earlier this month by a vote of 92-8. A key part of the package is permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports access to trails and outdoor recreation opportunities, as well as clean air and water programs.
In addition, the legislation designates more than 1.3 million acres of new wilderness areas, 367 miles of new wild and scenic rivers, 2,600 miles of new national trails, and creates four new national monuments.
Cantwell and co-sponsor Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said the Natural Resources Management Act is necessary to protect natural resources that are the basis of the nation’s thriving outdoor recreation economy. Protecting the Methow headwaters is an example of the “investment in our public lands” provided by the legislation, Cantwell said after the Senate vote on Feb. 12.
Previously introduced
Cantwell and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) had introduced the Methow Headwaters Protection Act as a separate bill in two previous legislative sessions, before it was included in the Natural Resources Management Act. “I commend the local community for rallying to safeguard this pristine area,” Murray said.
The area to be protected is surrounded by lands that include the North Cascades National Park, the Pasayten Wilderness and the North Cascades Scenic Highway.
The Methow Headwaters Campaign was launched after a Canadian company announced its intention in 2014 to conduct exploratory drilling for copper on Forest Service land near Flagg Mountain in Mazama. The Headwaters Campaign said preventing mining was necessary to protect clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, and the valley’s outdoor recreation-based economy.
“The passage of the headwaters withdrawal is cause for our community to celebrate,” said Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody, who has been a strong advocate for protecting the land from mining. “This issue has unified us in safeguarding the rural character of the valley, maintaining the foundation of our local jobs and economy, and protecting our critical water resources.”
The campaign sought protection for the Forest Service land through two possible options — an administrative process, in which federal agencies would approve a mineral withdrawal for up to 20 years, and through legislation, which offers permanent protection. After determined lobbying by the Headwaters Campaign, the administrative process had reached the desk of the Secretary of the Interior, who would have to sign off on the mineral withdrawal. However, that process appeared stalled since December 2018 when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned.
The legislative solution was always the preferred option, because it would permanently remove the area from mining. Advocates for protection praised the state’s congressional delegation for their support of the Public Lands Package.
“Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Washington) and Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and their staffs played crucial roles in supporting the Public Lands Package and protection of the headwaters,” said Coon, who traveled to Washington twice during the past two years, along with other Methow Valley residents, to lobby for a ban on mining.
“They recognize that the land and water of the Methow Valley are irreplaceable. While there are places where mining is appropriate, such an industrial activity in the Methow Valley would upend the very qualities that support our economy,” Coon said. “These leaders have worked extremely hard on behalf of our community, for which we are deeply grateful. We look forward to quick action by the president to finalize this exceptional demonstration of bipartisan cooperation.”
Rick LeDuc, co-owner of the Mazama Store, is among more than 150 area business owners who supported the Methow Headwaters Campaign. His store, located near the Methow River not far the area where drilling was proposed, is a gathering place for community members and visitors who come to enjoy the valley’s beauty and outdoor opportunities.
“Industrial activity here would have been devastating for our business, our local community and the many guests who come from across the state and country to experience this unique place,” LeDuc said. “The headwaters withdrawal will help ensure the future of a business that we have poured our lives into over the past several years.”
Other bills
In addition to the Methow Headwaters protection, the Public Lands Package includes several other bills of importance to Washington state, including the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project Phase III Act, a bill sponsored by Rep. Dan Newhouse.
Speaking from the floor of the House Tuesday, Newhouse said the project, which said he has worked on for about 30 years, is the result of “a decades-long effort to address vital water needs of the agricultural community, conservationists” and residents of the Yakima River basin.
Newhouse said the legislation is a “model to follow to address divisive issues,” and was developed by “a diverse group of local, tribal, state, federal, agricultural, environmental and private interests.”
Other measures in the legislative package that impact Washington include:
• The Wildfire Management Technology Advancement Act, which provides modern technology to firefighting agencies across the nation to increase firefighter safety;
• The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act, which improves volcano monitoring and early warning capabilities;
• The Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act, which designates 1.5 million acres of land along the I-90 corridor from Ellensburg to Seattle as the Pacific Northwest’s first National Heritage Area;
• The National Nordic Museum Designation, which designates the Nordic Museum in Seattle as the National Nordic Museum;
• The Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Act, which would designate a majority of western Washington’s shoreline as a National Heritage Area to promote tourism, economic development and maritime history.
Permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund granted in the legislative package is critical to the U.S. economy, Cantwell said. Outdoor recreation generates more than $887 billion in annual consumer spending and supports 7.6 million American jobs, according to a statement from Cantwell’s office.
In Washington state, outdoor recreation contributes more than $26 billion in consumer spending each year and supports over 200,000 direct jobs. Since its creation in 1964, the fund has supported more than 600 projects in Washington state, including popular recreation sites such as Olympic National Park, Lake Chelan and Riverside State Park, Cantwell’s statement said.
Washington state’s entire congressional delegation voted in favor of the Public Lands Package.
