John Hansen: “I rise in support of H.R. 3497, introduced by Ms. Dunn of Washington. This legislation modifies the boundary of the…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 3497, introduced by Ms. Dunn of Washington. This legislation modifies the boundary of the Snoqualmie National Forest to facilitate a land exchange. It is needed because approximately 6,300 acres of land that would be exchanged to the Government is outside the national forest boundary. H.R. 3497 is a bipartisan bill, introduced by the entire Washington delegation, and it has support from the administration and the public. The land exchange has been 12 years in the making. It is the result of a collaborative effort between the Sierra Club's Checkerboard Project and the Weyerhaeuser Co. The Forest Service will exchange approximately 7,200 acres of national forest land for 33,000 acres of private lands owned by the Weyerhaeuser Co. The exchange is based on equal values of land and timber. In addition to the trade, the agreement will result in a substantial donation of land from Weyerhaeuser to the Forest Service, including approximately 900 acres which will be added to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.”