Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Senator Bray. Good morning. My name is Gail Bray and I repre sent district 17 in the Idaho State Senate. I thank you for the early opportunity to testify today. As a State Senator I have voted consistently in the interests of the environment and to protect the needs of commerce and indus try. I see a vital link between these interests, one which needs not be exclusionary. To that end, I strongly oppose the concept of hard re lease. It is an exclusionary provision which limits our options. On July 28, 1983, a conference on education and technological de velopment was hosted by Boise State University with some 100 in vited business, education, and political leaders of southwestern Idaho. The keynote speaker, Dr. Bruce Merrifield, Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation in the U.S. Depart ment of Commerce, discussed the four major world forces of change which will catapult the world industries as we now know them beyond present day recognition. While all of those forces will impact upon Idaho's timber and mining industries, one of the major forces for change — that of the technology explosion —clearly indicates why the concept of hard re lease is unwise. Within the technological explosion, one of the focused growth areas is that of materials science, the discovery of substitutes for traditional materials: graphite epoxies, laminants, plastics, alloys. The example of a structure of reinforced mesh being submerged in saltwater is illustrative of the innovation which will expand out materials options. Upon applying a low voltage to the mesh, the saltwater solidifies as if concrete and almost laborless houses are created. While not my idea of a dream home, the cost of energy and desire for increased efficiency joined with technological advances may in fact render materials both beautiful and ultraefficient within the next few years. The best minds of the day are saying it is unwise to forecast the needs of the future based on the state of the art today. We must maintain our options. When one considers that 90 per cent of all scientific knowledge has been generated during the last 30 years and that scientific knowledge will double in the next 10 to 15 years, it is reasonable to anticipate new manmade materials for the majority of materials now derived from nature. I believe a hard release provision is very unlikely. Lands desig nated in the year 1983 or 1984 by Congress as nonwilderness should be reconsidered in 10 to 15 years for wilderness protection if the then-prevailing supply and demand and technological changes so merit reevaluation. 14 A legislatively imposed hard release at this time of technological fluidity solidifies unnecessarily our future options. I urge a soft re lease approach. Finally, your consideration of the Arizona strip wilderness bill as introduced in both the House and Senate of the U.S. Congress on July 13, 1983, is requested. As reported in the July 25, 1983 issue of the Christian Science Monitor, this legislation is: 'Sponsored by one of the most diverse casts of politicians ever to unite behind a piece of environmental legislation.' Its sponsors in the Senate included Utah Senator Jack Gam and Arizona Senators Barry Goldwater and Dennis DeConcini. In the House, Morris Udall and Bob Stump were sponsors. Bob Stump is the lead sponsor and apparently has never before voted for a wil derness bill, let alone sponsored one. The legislation was produced through cooperation between the environmentalists and industry leaders. The value of negotiation in such a situation is the precedent it sets for solution of future con flict issues. Copies of the newspaper article are submitted for the record and your review. For Idaho to approach its wilderness determination similarly to that in Arizona would require more time than has been allowed under the present timetable. In recognition of the value of deliberation and negotiation in issues of high conflict, I urge an opportunity for industry and wil derness advocates to reach consensus on Idaho wilderness via coop erative efforts. Having worked with the spokespersons for each of the interests involved, I believe they have within their capacities the ability to work out an acceptable package. Thank you.