Time for the Senate to Act to Protect Taxpayers and the Tongass
Ask Your Senators to Support McCain Tongass Subsidy Amendment

Contact your Senators today and urge them to vote to support Senator John
McCain's amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill (S. 2804) to end
taxpayer-subsidized logging in the Tongass National Forest. The U.S. Senate
schedule to debate the Interior bill is still in flux, but a vote could come
as early as tomorrow!

Now is the time for us to tell the Senate that we don't want to pay to pave
and log America's rainforest! The U.S. Senate should follow the lead of the
U.S. House of Representatives and vote to stop taxpayer money from being
used to build logging roads in the Tongass National Forest. Here's how you
can help!

TAKE ACTION
Contact your Senator TODAY and ask them to support the McCain Tongass
Subsidy Amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill and to oppose any
anti-environmental riders which could open the Tongass to more logging! If
you live in Arizona, thank Senator McCain!

Call (1-800-839-5276 or 202-224-3121) or send an email to your Senator
online at http://capwiz.com/awc/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6440826

Background
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), a stanch fiscal conservative, is stepping up to
the plate to champion an amendment to end taxpayer subsidized logging in
America's rainforest.  The amendment is supported by a broad coalition of
taxpayer and budget watchdog groups, sportsmen and conservationists. Senator
McCain's amendment builds upon on a stunning bipartisan effort in the U.S.
House of Representatives which voted (6/16/04) to prohibit taxpayer money
from being used to build logging roads for private timber companies in the
Tongass National Forest. In the House, Representatives Steve Chabot (R-OH)
and Robert Andrews' (D-NJ) Tongass subsidy amendment to the FY2005 Interior
Appropriations bill won by a vote of 222 to 205.

Since the U.S. House of Representatives voted to end taxpayer-subsidized
logging in the Tongass, the Forest Service has finalized two more roadless
area logging projects - the Gravina Island and Three Mile timber sales.
Based on Forest Service data the American taxpayer can expect to lose nearly
$11 million on these 2 sales alone. To add insult to injury, the Bush
administration has scheduled more than 50 other roadless area sales for the
next 10 years.

Subsidized logging in the Tongass National Forest has cost American
taxpayers millions.  In 2002 alone, the Forest Service spent $36 million on
the Tongass logging program and received only $1 million in revenue. Over
the past two decades, losses have reached over $750 million.

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For more information contact: Katie Little, Alaska Coalition
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