Let your voice be heard.

You can reach your Member of Congress by calling the Capitol switchboard
(202) 224-3121.

Committee to Vote on Forest Protections This Week

A dangerous bill that would gut crucial forest protections is coming to a
conference vote this Thursday.  Backed by arch-foe of the environment Rep.
Scott McInnis (R-CO), the bill cynically uses this summer's spate of fires
to allow increased logging of our forests, while doing nothing to protect
communities.

If approved, the measure could be voted on by the entire House of
Representatives next week before Congress goes home for the elections.
Contact your Representative and urge them to oppose the McInnis bill, HR
5319, and any efforts to reduce or eliminate forest protection safeguards.
You can reach your Member of Congress by calling the Capitol switchboard
(202) 224-3121.

For more information on the Club's community protection plan, go to
http://www.sierraclub.org/logging/fire_protection.asp

Congressman Scott McInnis's (R-CO) fire bill (H.R. 5319 - "Healthy Forests
Reform Act of 2002") will greatly weaken environmental safeguards and limit
public participation by eliminating appeals and severely limiting judicial
review. These exemptions would apply to a wide range of "forest
health"-related projects, including logging in national parks.

The bill hides behind the banner of fuels reduction. But information from
the field shows that almost every destructive timber sale is now billed as
fuels reduction or forest restoration. The bill will also provide short cuts
for destructive salvage logging.

The Forest Service and pro-logging congressionals claim conservation
challenges are stopping community protection efforts. This is simply not
true. All reports show that destructive timber sales get challenged -
legitimate community protection projects do not.

Apparently Congressmen Peter De Fazio (D-OR) and George Miller (D-CA) and
other key democrats on the House Resources Committee are still negotiating
with McInnis for some kind of bipartisan approach. They need to hear from
you to ensure that citizen rights to involvement in national forest
management are not taken away.

Call your congressperson now (202/224-3121 Capitol switchboard) and urge
them to stand up to McInnis and the Bush administration's assault on our
forest protection laws.

Tell them to:
1. Oppose the McInnis Bill
2. Oppose any restrictions on judicial review
3. Oppose elimination or short cutting of the appeals process.
4. Maintain our rights to full citizen involvement in forest decisions
5. Cosponsor the Inslee Community Protection Bill, H.R. 5358, which focuses
85% of fire money in Community Protection Zone (within 1/4 mile from homes)

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