Jesse Young on Wild Olympics - [Print Version]

August 9th, 2011

It's time for a new vision for our district; one which cherishes the splendor of our Olympic mountain range, acknowledges the care and dedication of our families and neighbors who own these lands, and supports those who make working to harness these natural resources an endeavor of personal pride.

Genuine concern for all is needed when making decisions concerning our environment. Will adding 37,000 acres to the Olympic National Park and designating the streams as “Wild and Scenic” and the forests as “Wilderness” really help the residents of the District and our environment? The balanced answer is decidedly "No", and I am against the Wild Olympics proposal.

Here’s what we know:

• This proposal WILL hurt our economy and kill more jobs.
• Prioritized spending is of utmost importance to our economy, and this proposal will drastically raise our costs AND decrease our revenues, further hurting our local economies.
• This proposal will not benefit our environment
• Many local leaders are against this proposal and the City of Aberdeen recently said “No”

Our environment is of critical importance to our nation – but we must also recognize that we, as a People, are good stewards of our environment, and, therefore, have every right to utilize our natural resources, free from over-bearing, special interest driven regulation. We deserve legislation that protects our Olympics and supports us all. As your next congressman, I will actively seek to move our district into a position of strength and leadership as concerns our bountiful natural resources.