Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, September 16, 2007 Spending fight snags Wild Sky By Jerry Cornfield Herald Columnist When Democrats surged into majority control of Congress this year, creation of the Wild Sky Wilderness area seemed to be, well, a slam dunk. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, the Democrat architects of the proposal, gushed confidently about the prospects in a Feb. 7 conversation with reporters. "This time we're going to make it happen," Murray pronounced. For one thing, Wild Sky's chief foe in the House of Representatives, Republican Richard Pombo of California, had been deposed in the electoral uprising of 2006. Pombo had kept the bill from coming to a vote; his exit seemed to clear a path for action. The Senate aroused little worry. Senators had waved a Wild Sky bill through in 2002, 2003 and 2005. The fourth time would be the charm. Murray spoke that day of stars aligning for a summer signing of the bill that would place 106,000 acres in eastern Snohomish County under a blanket of federal protection. As she spoke, the timbre of Mission Accomplished could be clearly heard in her voice. Seven months later, the bill creating Wild Sky is as unsigned as it's ever been. It wasn't supposed to be this difficult. The hang-up isn't with representatives. The House passed it in May. This year's human blockade is in the Senate in the body of Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma. Coburn doesn't mind protecting Wild Sky — he voted for it in 2005. His issue is how to pay for it. That's got it entangled in his grander crusade against congressional spending practices. Coburn is the guy who last year tried to block funding for the Alaska "Bridge to Nowhere" linking Ketchikan to Gravina Island and its 50 people. Murray made a robust defense of the expenditure and the Senate rebuffed Coburn. This year, Coburn is freely wielding one of a senator's powerful procedural weapons — putting a hold on any bill for any reason so it can't be voted on. Coburn forewarned his colleagues he would do this to bills that propose to increase spending without offering reductions somewhere else. Enter Wild Sky with a $19 million price tag from the Congressional Budget Office and without a suggested $19 million cut elsewhere. He boxed it up with a couple dozen other bills authored by Democrats and Republicans, making Coburn a walking target of bipartisan frustration. Senate leaders of both parties are now chatting with him to find a way to dislodge his hold on all those bills. Wild Sky backers insist there's time. Those previous Senate votes came as late as November, they noted. But with bigger issues such as funding government and fighting the war in Iraq dominating the Senate agenda, it may take until year's end for passage. So supporters aren't reaching for the panic button. Only the pain reliever. They hadn't planned on a headache like this until after the victory party. Reporter Jerry Cornfield's column on politics runs every Sunday. He can be heard at 8 a.m. Monday on "The Morning Show" on KSER (90.7 FM). He can be reached at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.

1. Arlington brothers’ fight led to death, police say 2. Detectives consider slaps to father lethal 3. Woman found dead at Bothell house fire 4. Two teens hurt in collision near Granite Falls 5. Lottery win helps Lake Stevens convenience store owner pay bonuses 6. Everett man shot in groin; two men, one woman are arrested 7. I-5 car chase was result of driver's medical condition 8. CBS cancels ‘As the World Turns’ 9. Jail inmates’ meal complaint omits a crucial fact 10. Locker dips toe in NFL pool 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million