07.14.04

Cantwell Pushes Biggest Expansion of Mount Rainier National Park in 70 Years Out of Senate Committee

Bipartisan proposal now heads to full Senate for vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell's (D-WA) pushed a bipartisan proposal to create the biggest expansion of Mount Rainier National Park in 70 years through the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In addition, the legislation would improve access for visitors to the park, allow for a new campsite to be built, and save taxpayers money that will no longer be needed to repair damages to a road that frequently gets washed out. The bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote on final passage.

"Although Mount Rainier is an icon of the Northwest, it is also a national treasure," Cantwell said. "Today's action is an important step towards securing the largest expansion of Mount Rainier National Park in seventy years and will benefit the park's visitors, as well as its neighboring communities in Washington state. Expanding the park and improving access to it will make Mount Rainier an even more enjoyable destination for families and tourists and makes good economic sense." In addition to saving taxpayers money, the bill will also give a boost to the eastern Pierce County economy. Business and community leaders from throughout the area offered their support to the bill in a letter to Cantwell earlier this year. Mount Rainier National Park is an enormous factor in the economic health of eastern Pierce County. According to a recent study conducted by Michigan State University, visitors to Mount Rainier spent over $24 million in 2001, supporting nearly 800 jobs and $13 million in personal incomes in communities surrounding the Park. In addition, it is estimated that Mount Rainier visitors spent $6.75 million at local restaurants and bars, and $5.5 million at regional lodging facilities.

The bill would authorize the purchase of a three-mile strip of land along the Carbon River, extending Mount Rainier National Park's northwest boundary and adding approximately 800 acres to the park – the largest expansion of the park in more than 70 years – including one of the last inland old-growth rainforests in the country. It would also link Mount Rainier National Park to Pierce County's Fairfax Forest, creating a corridor that can be used by migrating elk and other animals. Property owners of the land designated for purchase support this approach.

The bill approved today by the Senate was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jennifer Dunn (R-WA-08). Cantwell introduced companion legislation earlier this year, the Expanding and Making Mount Rainier National Park More Accessible Act (S. 2140). By approving Dunn's bill, the committee precluded the procedural requirement for a conference committee to compare the two bills before sending it to the President to be signed into law.