hap, hap, hooray!
from Grist:
A deal to set aside thousands of acres of wilderness near Yosemite
National Park has been crafted by an odd alliance of snowmobilers,
greens, and local officials. By agreeing to stay off 40,000 acres of
public land, snowmobilers would receive unfettered winter access to
11,000 acres nearby. "I told people, 'If you're not unhappy with
something here, then you didn't give up enough. ... But you should also
feel like you got something that you couldn't get through any other
means,'" said Mono County Supervisor Duane "Hap" Hazard (clever!), who
led the negotiations. A bill that would put the plan into law,
sponsored by Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), is backed by California's two
Democratic senators and the Bush administration, and would provide a
happy ending to a 20-year stalemate between conservationists and
outdoor recreationists. The bill is expected to get a hearing in the
House this month, but its progress will depend on Resources Committee
Chair Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), who's being coy about his intentions --
his friendship with McKeon may yet cancel out his instinct for
villainy.
source:
San Francisco Chronicle
