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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Legislation urging Congress to remove hundreds of thousands of acres from wilderness study area designation in Idaho is going to the full House despite concerns it could also end up encouraging Congress to designate more wilderness.
The House Resources and Conservation Committee voted 10-7 Tuesday to approve the House joint memorial put forward by Republican Rep. Priscilla Giddings.
Wilderness study areas typically carry the same restrictions as wilderness areas. In Idaho, federal officials have listed some study areas as not being suitable for wilderness designation.
Giddings says Congress should remove those as study areas to open the land up to industry and other uses.
Some lawmakers on the committee worried that if Congress agrees to remove non-suitable areas from wilderness consideration, Congress might be inclined to designate remaining areas that are suitable as wilderness.
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