Dear public land lovers,
Congress is working to attach environmentally destructive logging provisions as a “rider” to the Omnibus appropriations act. A decision is expected soon, perhaps, before the end of this work week! The legislation would override important federal environmental laws by using “categorical exclusions” to exempt projects from environmental analysis. This would result in a dramatic increase of logging on our National Forests, and other federal public lands, under the deceptive guise of “fuels reduction”, “thinning”, and “salvage logging.”
Call US Senator Harry Reid at 202-224-3542 and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Urge them to stand firm, and oppose any logging riders from being attached to the Omnibus spending bill!
Members of Congress are trying to cut a deal to increase funding for fire-fighting in exchange for weakening environmental laws. All of this is being driven by misguided fears of naturally occurring fire. The best available science shows that fires are largely a function of climate, not fuels. Furthermore, most of the fires that burned this summer on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests were forest types that historically burned in large, stand-replacing fires.
Read the recent letter to Congress from over 200 scientists detailing problems with so-called “salvage logging” in post-fire habitats. Then call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be transferred to the office of your Senator(s) and House of Representative(s). Tell them that logging riders are bad for the forest, and bad for democracy!
Sincerely,
Brett Haverstick
Education & Outreach