State Panel OKs Proposal to Include Kings River in U.S. Wilderness System
WASHINGTON — A House subcommittee on Tuesday approved a proposal to designate 93 miles of the Kings River in Central California as part of the national Wild and Scenic Rivers system.
By a 19-11 vote, the subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands approved the bill carried by Rep. Richard Lehman (D-Calif.) and sent it on to the full House Interior Committee for consideration.
If passed by the full Congress, the bill would prohibit further hydroelectric development on the river.
Before approving Lehman’s bill, the subcommittee rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Charles Pashayan (R-Calif.) that would have eliminated 13 miles of the river from wild and scenic designation in order to allow construction of the proposed Rodgers Crossing Dam, a project Lehman opposes.
Lehman called the proposed Rodgers Crossing Dam “uneconomical, unnecessary and ill-advised.”
Proponents of the hydroelectric project argued against Lehman’s bill during subcommittee hearings earlier this month. They said the project was needed to ensure San Joaquin Valley farmers an adequate supply of irrigation water in the future.
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