U.S. House passes Willd Sky bill

At long last, the House of Representatives has said yes to Wild Sky:

The House on Tuesday approved a bill to create a Wild Sky Wilderness northeast of Seattle, the first new wilderness area in Washington state in more than 20 years.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., would designate 167 square miles in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest north of Sultan, Wash., as wilderness, the government's highest level of protection.

The voice vote sends the bill to the Senate, which has approved the Wild Sky proposal three times in recent years.

Senator Patty Murray is confident Wild Sky can pass the U.S. Senate (again) and White House officials have indicated George W. Bush will sign the bill if it passes. This is a significant milestone and everyone who has worked on Wild Sky should be pleased with today's victory.