posted
July 12 - 2004 Bush Administration proposes new plan to open U.S. national forest to more logging
Today the Bush Administration intends to remove the roadless conservation policy with a process that basically eliminates federal protections from logging and mining in remote areas of national forests.
the administration seems to base the proposal on forest management and an effort to build partnerships with state governors. it would now be required that governors petition for protection of certain areas.
according to the natural resources defense council, "This is a roadblock to roadless protection. The administration is not concerned about states' rights."
many of the areas affected are in western states with strong logging industries, so it is unlikely that governors in these states will petition to stop logging all these backcountry areas.
also, it might be expected from the anti-environment bush administration that rather than simply allowing governors to petition for commercial access to these national forest areas, governors would now be required to petition to protect them. in other words, previously protected national forests (which are owned by american taxpayers) are now open access for logging unless state governors petition the federal government for their protection.
Posts: 19 | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
All that Bush did was make logging a states-rights issue. If you are against logging in an area, you should complain to the state government, not the federal.
Posts: 1 | Registered: Aug 2004
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That is true, stimulus. hopefully where appropriate people will encourage the local government to keep national forest protected. rather than complain, i would hope people would be aware that bush is blantantly removing environmental protections at the request of industries. it should be troublesome that the bush admin has appointed Mark Rey, a former timber industry lobbyist to head the US Forest Service, which is our representation to protect US National forests. Tell me how a timber industry representative can be an objective mananager of US Forests? The bush plan even calls for clear cut logging of Century old Giant Sequoia groves in California's Giant Sequoia National Monument.
There are also many other examples of Bush appointing former industry lobbyists to head branches of government that exist to protect US natural resources. The obvious intent and result is to remove current environmental protection of US natural resources. If you want representatives for coal, mining, oil and logging industries deciding how to protect federal environmental resources, vote bush. one quote regarding bush's environmental staff picks follows:
"They are lawyers and lobbyists who built their careers by helping industry get out of environmental regulations," said Maria Weidner, policy advocate for the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund. "Now, assuming they're confirmed, they will be doing the same thing, only the taxpayers will be paying for it."
Posts: 19 | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Well at least the GWB era will soon be a thing of the past...by default, of course, but at least it is something positive.
Posts: 16 | Registered: Aug 2008
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