{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=5b7cb97b-b700-451a-8bb3-0fafae57c651", "Murray Statement on Washington State Public Lands Bills", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Patty Murray", "M001111", "www.murray.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Murray: a \u201chistoric day\u201d for WA and \u201cprotecting the natural treasures we love\u201d\r\n(Washington, D.C.) \u2013Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after the Senate voted to break a filibuster on the Defense Authorization bill, which included legislation she authored to protect Illabot Creek and the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers and expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The legislation passed the House last week and will head to the White House shortly to be signed into law by President Obama. \r\n\u201cFor everyone in Washington state who cherishes our incredible wild spaces, this is a truly historic day,\u201d said Senator Murray.\u00a0 \u201cThis isn\u2019t simply about protecting the natural treasures we love, it\u2019s about passing them along to our children, our grandchildren, and generations of Washingtonians to come.\u201d \r\nWashington state bills that will pass both chambers of Congress include:\r\n\r\nFollowing a long-fought victory to create the Wild Sky\u00a0Wilderness in 2008, Senator Murray continued her efforts to help protect some of Washington state\u2019s best wild places.\u00a0 She first introduced legislation to protect Illabot Creek, a tributary of the Skagit River and critically important habitat for many species, including five species of salmon, steelhead, Roosevelt elk, and Bald eagles, \u00a0in 2009.\u00a0 Congressman Larsen introduced companion legislation in the House the same year.\u00a0 Legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate in the 111th, 112th, and 113th Congresses, and has faced partisan opposition in the past. \r\nMurray held meetings with stakeholders and a public workshop early in 2009 to discuss the Alpine Lakes wilderness proposal and hear local community input on the legislation.\u00a0 As a result of those meetings, Senator Murray introduced new legislation in the Senate, including the addition of Wild and Scenic designation protections for the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, which both the House and Senate versions now contain.\u00a0 Legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate in the 111th, 112th, and 113th Congresses and has faced partisan opposition in the past.\r\nSen. Murray also worked earlier this year to pass the Green Mountain Lookout bill after a mudslide ravaged communities in northern Snohomish County.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=5b7cb97b-b700-451a-8bb3-0fafae57c651"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6007809899747372, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}