At a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing today on wilderness legislation for the Boulder-White Clouds and Jerry Peak mountains, Rick Johnson of the Idaho Conservation spoke in favor of the bill on behalf of a coalition of 26 groups, reports Rocky Barker of the Idaho Statesman, from the Idaho Conservation League he heads to the Idaho Cattle Association, the Idaho Farm Bureau and the Idaho Water Users Association. “There has never been such broad consensus around legislation for the Boulder-White Clouds,” Johnson told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining.

Barker’s full report is online here. The ICL reported on Twitter that Idaho Sen. Jim Risch called the legislation a “great compromise” and praised Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson for crafting it. In a news release on the hearing, Risch called the area “one of the most remarkable places in the world,” and said, “You could travel all over the world but you would always remember your trip to the Boulder-White Clouds. It is truly unique.”