MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – A politically charged bill that would expand wilderness areas in the Green Mountain National Forest failed to clear the U.S. House in the final hours before Congress adjourned Saturday, shoving the issue back to the campaign agenda.

The House and Senate are due back in Washington after the election for a lame-duck session to address the 11 appropriations bills that have yet to be enacted and the wilderness bill could be acted on then, but Rep. Bernie Sanders’ staff said it remain a challenge.

“Our focus is going to be on getting it passed, hopefully in the lame-duck (session), and if worse comes to worst, then in the new Congress,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ congressional chief of staff and campaign manager in his bid for the U.S. Senate.

The debate over whether and how much to add to the 59,000 acres of wilderness already in the Green Mountain National Forest has exposed an unusual public split between Vermont’s congressional delegation, which advocated for more, and Gov. Jim Douglas, who helped to scuttle an initiative that was on the verge of winning congressional approval earlier in September.

Initially, the Senate unanimously passed a bill adding nearly 48,000 acres to the national forest’s wilderness. Douglas then wrote a letter to Republican leaders criticizing the deal, forcing a new round of negotiations that cut the amount to 42,000 acres.

Douglas’ office put out a statement Saturday after the compromise version passed the Senate but languished in the House praising the compromise and reiterating “my commitment to assist the delegation with this important work.”

But the delegation, particularly Sanders, was quick to point out that the delay caused by Douglas’ letter could jeopardize the bill’s passage this year. And the congressional delegation also has said that the compromise settled on was one that had been offered to Douglas weeks earlier.

“The delay caused by the governor’s actions forced consideration of the Vermont Wilderness bill into the final chaotic days of the regular congressional session where the delegation’s effort to pass it just ran out of time,” said a statement released by Sanders’ office.

There’s a coalition that’s happy to delay and try to scuttle the wilderness expansion, however, and they have rallied around the governor.

Steve McLeod of the Vermont Traditions Coalition, for example, has lobbied against the original bill proposed by the delegation. Telephone messages left for him on Saturday were not immediately returned.

A number of statewide candidates have tried to make issues out of the controversy, including Douglas’ challenger, Democrat Scudder Parker. Parker was continuing to air radio ads over the weekend criticizing the governor for inserting himself into the wilderness debate. He made the same point on Saturday.

“Jim Douglas is to blame and must stand up and take responsibility for his actions,” Parker said. “Douglas’s role in derailing the bill is becoming clearer and clearer, and voters are paying attention.”

Douglas, however, pointed out that he helped to broker the compromise, trying to defuse some of the emotions surrounding the issue. “All the issues surrounding additional wilderness designations within our Green Mountain National Forest evoke strong feelings from many Vermonters with multiple points of view,” he said. “By recognizing the value of compromise, we were able to reach an agreement.”

In the congressional race, Democrat Peter Welch also seized on the issue, arguing it was another example that support the theme of his campaign, which focuses on ousting the Republican majority in Congress.

“The New England Wilderness bill is yet another example of why we must put an end to Republican leadership in the House and begin a new direction,” he said.

A telephone message left for Republican Martha Rainville’s campaign spokesman, Brendan McKenna, was not immediately returned.