Environmental groups on Wednesday celebrated a long-anticipated win in Congress for legislation that would place new, permanent protections on chunks of federal land in Southwest Virginia.

After stops and starts, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act cleared the U.S. House and heads to President Barack Obama, who has signaled support. The Senate approved the legislation earlier this month.
The bill would create new wilderness territory or expand existing wilderness areas in the Jefferson National Forest as well as designate new national scenic areas. In all, more than 50,000 acres of national forest would receive federal protection.

"I am very pleased that we can at last declare success in this effort, and I want to congratulate the hundreds of Virginians who have cooperated with us in the effort to assemble the legislation," U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., said.

Opponents said the act would block far too much land with potential for oil and gas exploration at a time when the country needs more options for producing domestic energy.

"Our nation can't afford to shut down the creation of jobs for jobless Americans, and we can't afford to become even more dependent on foreign sources of energy," said U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash. The bill "even locks up federal lands from renewable energy production, including wind and solar."

Boucher is the bill's primary sponsor in the House and with the rest of the Virginia congressional delegation has been working to get it passed for three years.

The wilderness designation allows hunting and hiking, but bars development, road-building and use of mechanized equipment, including mountain bikes and chain saws.

"It's a recognition by many people that the supply of really untouched land in the national forest is quite limited and that if we don't do something about it now, there's probably not going to be any of it left in years to come," said Jim Murray of Charlottesville, a co-founder of the Virginia Wilderness Committee.

David Carr, public lands director for the Charlottesville-based Southern Environmental Law Center, said the land is important for recreation uses, including hunting, fishing, hiking and camping.

"These are special areas," Carr said. "It's also just important to have some areas set aside in their natural state for people of all ages and future generations to enjoy."

Virginia Sens. John Warner and Jim Webb introduced an identical bill to Boucher's three years ago. But the proposal hit snags in previous congressional sessions. Last year, backers of the act and dozens of other bills with environmental and outdoors connections folded the separate measures into a single, "omnibus" act. That legislation passed the Senate but failed on its initial pass through the House this month. The measure was brought up in the Senate again last week, setting up Wednesday's House vote.

Supporters describe the package of 170 bills as one of the most significant pieces of conservation legislation in decades.

Critics said the omnibus approach allows lawmakers to push through too many bills that aren't being closely vetted individually.

In addition to designating 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act includes protections on miles of rivers, battlefields and other public lands.

The last wilderness areas created in Virginia by Congress are in Nelson County - the Priest and Three Ridges Wilderness in the George Washington National Forest. They were designated in 2000.

"It's been a long time," Murray said. "The principal point is that this is the strongest form of protection that any federal land can achieve."

If signed by the president, the Ridge and Valley Act will create seven new wilderness areas in parts of Bland, Craig, Grayson, Giles, Lee, Montgomery and Smyth counties. It also will expand the acreage of six existing wilderness areas and create two national scenic areas.

The scenic area designation is less restrictive, allowing mountain biking, for example, and some vehicle access.

"All the areas designated as wilderness or national scenic areas are located in Southwest Virginia and are part of the Jefferson National Forest," Boucher said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "Only national forest land is affected. All of these areas are being administered in a way that already is consistent with wilderness or national scenic areas. The new legislation provides permanent protection.

"We can ensure that rare and endangered species ... and old-growth timber ... will be preserved and then be available for recreation by our local public and by visitors to our region," the Abingdon Democrat said. "And I am confident that these areas will stimulate our tourism economy."

J. Todd Foster of the Bristol Herald Courier and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
McGregor McCance writes for The Daily Progress in Charlottesville and can be reached at cmccance@dailyprogress.com [1] (434) 978-7283.