Wild Olympics Act won’t be heard in the U.S. House this year

The Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will not be heard this year in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer’s H.R. 2642 would designate 126,000-plus acres of the Olympic National Forest as wilderness, and 464 miles of river as Wild and Scenic rivers.

The bill was passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee in early December, the furthest the legislation has made it in the process since it was first introduced by then-Congressman Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray in 2012.

The bill won’t be eligible for floor consideration until the House Natural Resources Committee files its report with the House, which typically takes place about three months after committee passes a bill.

The committee is expected to file that report in February or March. From there the bill would be eligible for consideration on the House floor, if the Speaker of the House, who controls what legislation is heard in the chamber, so decides.