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The Role of Congress in the Plum Creek Land Exchange

Washinton senators Patty Murray and Slade Gordon influenced the events of the land exchange. Senator Gorton introduced the first land exchange as a rider to the Omnibus Appropriations bill that was passed by congress in 1998. Senator Murray supported this legislation. With the land exchange being mandated by congress, the normal procedures followed by the Forest Service for enacting a land exchange were circumvented. After marbled murrelets, a federally theatened species, were found on land to be given to Plum Creek, the land exchange was re-negotiated. Both Gorton and Murray supported the legislation of this second land exchange.