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Groups Request Congressional Hearings on Forest Service $12 Billion Forest Proposal August 29, 2000 MISSOULA--- Nearly 60 organizations throughout the United States have sent a letter to Congress (letter below) requesting extensive hearings on a $12 billion proposal from the U.S. Forest Service to address wildfire conditions in the National Forest system. Spurred by the wildfires affecting portions of the public lands in the western U.S. this summer, the agency seeks to spend $825 million per year until 2015 to thin and burn across some 40 million acres of National Forest lands from the Pacific Coast to the Rocky Mountains. "This letter says 'Whoa! Let's take a detailed look before appropriating $12 billion of taxpayer funds for a program that may not perform as advertised,'" said Mike Bader, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies in Missoula, Montana, who signed the letter on behalf of the 57 groups. "These bait and switch tactics have to stop," added Bader. "If you broke a toe, you wouldn't want a doctor to set your nose. We have to treat the problem where it is actually occurring, which is essentially in people's backyards, not way up the mountainsides in the middle of the forest." Record drought conditions, a rash of dry lightning storms and a great increase in the number of people living within the forests has led to widespread fires which have burned millions of acres of grasslands and forests, and destroyed numerous homes. Timber industry officials have placed the blame on conservationists and current environmental laws, while Montana Governor Marc Racicot (R) has placed part of the blame on the Clinton Administration's roadless area policies. "There are definitely many sides to this issue, but so far Congress is only hearing one," said Bader. "Conservationists agree that the severity of the fires has been increased due to nearly 100 years of fire suppression and logging activity. But we do not agree that dramatically increased logging is the answer. A detailed examination of the facts will allow us to move forward with due caution, while keeping an eye on our wallets and our forests." In a recent television news appearance, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman acknowledged a majority of this season's fires are burning in previously roaded and logged lands as opposed to roadless areas. Yet timber industry officials, with support from some members of Congress, argue only more logging will reduce wildfires. For example, Rep. Rick Hill (R-MT) has stated he intends to attach a rider amendment authorizing a massive new logging program similar to the Salvage Rider controversy, as soon as Congress reconvenes. -30- August 29, 2000 To the Honorable Members of the Senate and We, the undersigned organizations, representing tens of thousands of U.S. citizens, urge you to oppose the request by the U.S. Forest Service for $12 billion of U.S. citizen taxpayer dollars for the purpose of logging in our National Forests in the name of fire prevention. We adamantly oppose this attempt to exploit this year's extended drought and widespread fires. The Congress and the citizens of this country have worked for years to curb the fiscal excesses of the U.S. Forest Service "below-cost" timber sale program, which has burdened the U.S. taxpayer with billions of dollars of monetary losses. The latest request appears to us to be a transparent attempt to gain access to the National Forests for the express purpose of logging. This fiscally irresponsible and ecologically damaging charade must be stopped. This request for greatly increased logging subsidies is undermined by the Forest Service's own studies which show that, in general, fires have burned with higher intensity, greater spread potential, and more devastation in areas that have been previously roaded and logged. The largest of the fires currently burning in Montana, the state hardest hit by this year's blazes, have raced across private corporate timber company lands which have been heavily roaded and logged. We urge the leadership of the House and Senate to hold extensive hearings on this subject, including field hearings throughout the U.S. We simply cannot afford a new $12 billion subsidy based on hastily gathered information. We fear this new request is less than objective and based more on opportunism than an objective analysis of the actual problems and potential solutions. The causes of this year's extensive wildfires are many, including human carelessness, and cannot be boiled down to a simple answer such as dramatically increased logging. The issue is complex and we must proceed with due caution before exposing the taxpayers to another massive below-cost logging program on the National Forests. Attached are the names of 57 organizational signatories to this letter. Sincerely, Mike Bader, for: Alliance for the Wild Rockies (Montana-Idaho) Back to WILDFIRES! Index |
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