Rep Mike Simpson wrote his friend and former colleague Butch Otter Friday about the Governor's continued opposition to Simpson’s Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act.

Simpson’s letter comes in response to Otter’s earlier letter expressing opposition to the bill and laying out state concerns.

In his letter Simpson said he recognized that Otter would not support CIEDRA as he didn’t when he was in the House.

And he explained the compromises he made to seek a middle ground on the issue of motorized use. He told of how he kept the Germania Creek trail open and agreed the bill would close the Grand Prize trail. He also told of how he adjusted the boundaries to allow the most popular high elevation snowmobiling areas to be left out of wilderness.

“I believe it is fair to say that those who are entrenched in their positions on one or both of these issues are not interested in compromise and will remain opposed to the bill unless the other side gives up,” Simpson said.

He told Otter that there was language in the bill to ensure the lands that would be transferred to local governments would happen but that as Otter knows, no wilderness bill has ever had nor would pass with so-called “trigger” language, which would hold up wilderness designation until after the land is transferred.

He told Otter he was committed to getting appropriations to buy the state lands inside the wilderness areas.

Simpson also proposed language to support the memorandum of agreement that allows helicopters into wilderness for wildlife management.

He pointed out the bill was written with water rights language negotiated by the Idaho Attorney General.

And finally he said he would add language to strengthen the federal commitment to controlling invasive and noxious weeds.

What Simpson hopes he can get from Otter is the same response he got when he came within a day of getting the bill passed in 2006. Otter didn’t vote for the bill but he also did not go to Republican House leadership and say kill the bill. He could have, but he didn’t in deference to his colleague.

The Republican State Convention passed a resolution opposing the bill last month. Sen. Mike Crapo, a co-sponsor of the bill in the Senate, stood by his support. But Sen. Jim Risch, also a co-sponsor of the Senate bill, has backed off his long-time support for Simpson’s bill to the delight of the Idaho Recreation Council and other motorized groups who have long opposed the bill.

The Blue Ribbon Coalition’s Bill Dart expressed concern in the recent hearing of the bill that language Simpson had inserted that would have required the Forest Service to open as many new miles of trail for any in the bill to be closed later. But the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Democratic leaders nixed that language and would not let the bill move forward with it.

Still, the Blue Ribbon Coalition did not support the bill even with that language. And it got continued use of Frog Lake Trail over the objections of environmental groups. Many environmental groups oppose the current compromise that leaves Germania Creek trail open.

"I tried to achieve a balance where there are no winners or losers," Simpson wrote.

The changing politics of the Republican Party in Idaho and nationally makes it an open question whether the trend of the last decade of bipartisan and Republican wilderness bills is coming to a end. The Boulder-White Clouds may be the test.

Otter's response and Risch's actions are now the key and both sides will be putting their lobbying efforts on them.