Environment

Protecting the natural environment is one of Sen. Wyden’s highest priorities.  He supports the protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Utah's Red Rock Canyons and other national treasures.  He opposes proposals to open up our fragile coastal areas to oil and gas drilling.  He believes that the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act need to be fully enforced in order to keep our environment safe and clean for everyone.

In the 110th Congress, Senator Wyden introduced the “Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007,” which will permanently protect nearly 125,000 acres of wilderness on Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge. The bill would also grant Wild and Scenic River protections to more than 80 additional miles of rivers in Oregon. This proposal, which was recently approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, represents an increase of almost 70 percent over existing wilderness protections and a 65 percent increase to the Wild and Scenic Rivers network on Mount Hood.  Proposed wilderness additions in the bill include cathedral old growth forests, historic lava beds, prime habitat for salmon and steelhead and popular recreational destinations such as Mirror Lake and Roaring River.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new regulations on the amount of benzene that could be contained in gasoline.  Benzene is a known carcinogen, and Oregon and Washington have among the highest levels of benzene in the country. Under the proposal, the EPA would have allowed oil refineries in the Northwest to meet the new benzene content limits by using a credit-trading program rather than by reducing the amount of benzene in gasoline.  In response to the proposal, Senator Wyden blocked the nomination of a senior EPA official and worked with environmental regulators and his colleagues in the Senate to convince the EPA to alter its regulations.  On February 9, 2007, the EPA changed its approach and issued a final rule that included a cap on the amount of benzene that oil companies could have in gasoline.

Senator Wyden is concerned with climate change and will continue to oppose bills, such as the 2005 energy bill and the President’s Clear Skies Act, that fail to meaningfully address the problem of global warming. He will also continue to support funding for agencies, like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), that help us to better understand the impact of climate change.

Senator Wyden cosponsored the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would clarify the jurisdiction of the federal government wetlands. The bill would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to broaden the definition of protected areas to include all "waters of the United States."

Working with local government, community leaders, hunters and fishers, Senator Wyden introduced the Copper Salmon Wilderness Act to permanently protect the 13,700 acres that encompass the headwaters of the Elk River in Southern Oregon.  Renowned among fishermen, Copper Salmon is one of the last intact watersheds on the southwest Oregon Coast and is widely regarded as Oregon’s last, best coastal salmon and steelhead stream.  The tract is adjacent to the existing Grassy Knob Wilderness Area within the lush rainforests of the Siskiyou-Rogue River National Forest.

Share Your Views with Senator Wyden

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