Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Mt. Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act. This bill is a necessary step to ensuring that the Cooper Spur land exchange on Mt. Hood proceeds as Congress originally intended when it passed as a part of the Omnibus Public Lands Bill in 2009. I am pleased to introduce this bill with my colleague from Oregon, Senator Jeff Merkley.

The Mt. Hood Cooper Spur land exchange was included in the Mt. Hood Wilderness designation that passed 6 years ago as part of the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009. The bill, which has now been law for over 6 years, directed several land exchanges including the Cooper Spur land exchange.

The Cooper Spur land exchange required the Forest Service to transfer approximately 120 acres of Federal land to Mt. Hood Meadows in exchange for approximately 770 acres of private land, with the goal of keeping development of Mt. Hood concentrated around the current development at Government Camp and ensuring the protection of the North side of the mountain. The swap was to be completed in 16 months. It is now 77 months later and the exchange has not moved forward. The delays have angered the public, endangered the environment, and have now spurred a lawsuit against the Forest Service.

The Mt. Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act would make technical corrections to the Original Cooper Spur land exchange provisions in the Omnibus Public Lands Act to jumpstart the land exchange and keep the process moving forward so the exchange can finally be completed, as originally intended.

I introduced the original Mt. Hood Wilderness proposal in 2004 and again in 2006 and 2007 with my then-colleague Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon. As the Wilderness proposal and associated land exchanges took shape, more than 1,700 constituents provided input on the proposal. It was supported by members of the Oregon congressional delegation at the time, then-Governor Kulongoski, the Bush administration, and over 100 community groups. The Mt. Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act is supported by Mt. Hood Meadows, Friends of Hood River Valley, Clackamas County, and Hood River County.

The Cooper Spur land exchange was an important part of the Mt. Hood Wilderness designation to ensure the protection of the undeveloped North side of the mountain. In turn, the Mt. Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act is needed in order to ensure that the land exchange, a community-driven solution to the development challenges on Mt. Hood, is finally completed.

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