After Pressing Forest Service on Online Permitting Failure, Senators Say Delayed Relaunch of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Reservations is Unacceptable
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/22/2019]—Today, Minnesota’s U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith released the following statement after the United States Forest Service announced yesterday that the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) online reservation system launch will be delayed an additional week.
Sens. Klobuchar and Smith—who last month called on the U.S. Forest Service to address technical difficulties with the new online reservation system for distributing BWCAW permits—called the delayed relaunch “unacceptable,” and said they will continue to press the Trump Administration for answers.
“This further delay is unacceptable for residents, tourists, and small businesses who are still unable to access the BWCAW permitting system,” said Sens. Klobuchar and Smith. “The transition to an online reservation system was put in place to ensure a more equitable and efficient process, but Minnesotans are being hurt by the inability to make reservations for the upcoming season. We are hopeful that this extra time will ensure that no future difficulties occur, and we will continue to work with the Administration to solve this problem as soon as possible.”
You can access Sens. Klobuchar and Smith’s earlier call to the U.S. Forest Service here.
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