“Once again, the Bush administration is continuing its tradition
of announcing drastic policy changes just before a major holiday,
the public and the media are least attentive. And once again, at a
time when trees are celebrated as a symbol of the holidays, the
Bush administration is giving away our national forests as a
Christmas gift to big industry.”
“Almost exactly a year ago, the Bush administration gave logging
companies greater access to the crown jewel of national forests by
exempting the Tongass in Alaska from the Roadless Rule. Now the
Bush administration is opening up all national forests to greater
industrial exploitation.
“The Bush administration’s proposal to gut the National Forest
Management Act is outrageous, not just for its complete disregard
for scientific review but also for its arrogant restrictions on
public participation in decisions regarding the future of national
forests.
“This is not only an environmental issue. It is an issue of
fiscal responsibility. Logging in national forests costs millions
of dollars a year in government subsidies. Taxpayer money is being
used to destroy forests that belong to the American people. This is
also a public health issue. National forests are the single largest
source of drinking water, supplying clean water to more than 60
million people around the country.
“2005 marks the 100th anniversary of
founding of the Forest Service. The coming year could have been a
chance for the agency to redeem itself by focussing on efforts to
protect and restore our national forests. Instead, under the Bush
administration, the Forest Service will be extending its dubious
legacy of mismanagement.”
