The State - News from July 10, 1987

On a voice vote, the Senate has approved legislation designating about 125 miles of the Merced River in California as a federally protected wild and scenic river to prohibit development. The measure is sponsored by Sens. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) and Alan Cranston (D-Calif.). A slight difference between the Senate bill and a House version adopted March 31 will have to be resolved in conference. The Senate bill permanently protects an eight-mile segment of the river’s main stem from hydroelectric construction, thereby blocking a proposed small dam several hundred feet west of Yosemite National Park. The House version, sponsored by Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Merced), would only temporarily prohibit development of the dam for five years, until Sept. 30, 1992.