Emerson vows to fight wilderness project

Emerson vows to fight wilderness project

ST. LOUIS -- Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said she will fight an effort to designate 50,000 additional acres for federal wilderness protection in her district. Emerson calls the move unnecessary. The Missouri Wilderness Coalition said the land that is mostly in the Mark Twain National Forest is at risk for environmental damage by logging, mining and other threats. The group is asking Congress to pass legislation designating the wilderness areas. But Emerson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the move would hurt efforts to clear dead trees that could fuel forest fires and could prevent treatment of trees endangered by pests.