Pacific Views

Protect Our Forests

Very soon the Senate will be voting on a very bad Forest Bill. HR 1904, the so-called "Healthy Forests and Restoration act of 2003," is not designed to improve the health of our forests, but rather to make it easier to bypass evironmental regulations and cut more timber. The Houston Sierra Club describes the effects of the bill as:

"A better description is the 'Unhealthy Forests Bill.' HR 1904 will eliminate appeals for any project labeled as a hazardous fuels project, gut the environmental alternative analysis required in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEAP), rig the judicial process in favor of timber production and ignore the real fire dangers found among forest communities and individual homesteads.

"Under this bill, hazardous fuels are defined as any vegetation, dead or alive, in the forest or rangeland ecosystem that is in excess of historic levels or management goals and can cause wildfires. This definition means that almost any logging project found anywhere can be called a hazardous fuels project. With this designation, logging can avoid environmental analysis which ensures that wildlife, ecosystems, old growth forests, water quality and soil are protected."

When Bush visits Portland on August 21st, he will be selling this approach to managing our forests. Please contact your Senators today and ask them to oppose this bill.

Thanks to Steve Bates for bringing this to my attention.

Posted by Mary at August 8, 2003 10:56 AM | TrackBack