were considered to be less attractive and environmentally important than Hetch Hetchy Valley. This kept the project at bay. The president of the American Society of Engineers in 1912, John R. Freeman submitted a plan, supported by the U.S. Advisory Board of Army Engineers, that determined the construction of water infrastructure in the Hetch Hetchy Valley would deliver a substantial amount of water at a fraction of the cost, compared to the proposed plan to use the Cherry Valley and Lake Eleanor. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson is elected president and suggests that the U.S. Congress reviews San Francisco's application to develop in Yosemite. On September 3, 1913, the House of Representatives passes HR7207, which was a bill submitted by John Raker that authorized the use of the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Lake Eleanor as a water source for San Francisco. The Raker bill was then passed in the U.S. Senate on December 2, 1913, and then signed by President Wilson on December 19. The bill was named the Raker Act after its chief advocate, John Raker. Controversy and resistance During the beginning stages of planning for the development in Yosemite National Park, and the development of the Raker Act, there were a few parties that fought against San Francisco's water grab. The main defenders conserving the Hetch Hetchy Valley for recreational use were the Spring Valley Water Company, landowners in the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts, and the Sierra Club. All had different agendas but fought for the same outcome. The most prominent figure in the Hetch Hetchy debate was the Sierra Club, and its founder, John Muir. They opposed the Raker Act purely from an environmentalist standpoint. John Muir saw the Hetch Hetchy Valley as a prized natural resource and called it, "one of Nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples". One of the main arguments from Muir's side was the ecotourism benefits the valley could provide, including revenue for the Federal Government. But this argument could not hold up against public interests that would benefit from the Raker Act. John Muir himself even admitted he did not want to deny water to millions of people, he just didn't want the newly formed National Parks to fall victim to public developments. Although Muir's avocation for National Parks against the Raker Act was an important proponent for the creation of the National Park Service. The government realized they needed an