09/25/06 Owhyee Initiative hearing

The Owyhee Initiative will go before a Senate committee on Wednesday. It will give the committee which is chaired by Idaho's Larry Craig their first hearing at the legislation which Senator Mike Crapo introduced in August. CRAPO "We expect to have a strong solid showing of support for the Owyhee Initiative and then try to move forward aggressively to move this legislation through the House and the Senate and help to resolve the conflicts that we've had for decades over this incredibly wonderful and important part of Idaho in the Owyhee Canyonlands." It took nearly five years to reach agreement on the land use plan in Owyhee County. Last month the Idaho Land Board unanimously voted for a resolution calling on Congress to pass the legislation and President Bush to sign it into law. There are critics who have raised their voices to the Crapo proposal and so far Senator Larry Craig has been non-committal. Crapo says he's expected to listen to all sides before he votes. CRAPO "Because he sits in that committee chairmanship position he is not yet in a position where he is going to, I think, take a position one way or the other on the bill." Time is running out for this Congress so the fate of the bill should it clear the committee this week is still uncertain. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott