But the bill, which required a two-thirds vote because of the way it was introduced in the House, has wide support and is expected to return to the floor for another vote soon, this time under a procedural move that requires a simple majority for passage.
Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, was one of 34 Republicans to support the measure, in part because of the provision that allowed the road through the wildlife refuge. If the bill passes, the road would still require environmental reviews before being built. The defeated measure would have conferred the government's highest level of protection on land ranging from California's Sierra Nevada mountain range to Oregon's Mount Hood, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and parts of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia.
Land in Idaho's Owyhee canyons, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan and Zion National Park in Utah also would have won designation as wilderness, and more than 1,000 miles of rivers in nearly a dozen states would have gained protections.
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