DC Public Lands Action Update APRIL 23, 2003 By Jessica Hodge The View from the Hill (Excerpts) Forest Protection Update Using the hype of the 2002 fire season, the Bush administration proposed a series of drastic administrative changes to the way our National Forests are managed. Combined, these proposals will give free reign to the timber industry across National Forests under the guise of "fuel reduction." The President's ill-named "Healthy Forests Initiative" will do little to protect communities and homes from forest fires, instead this sweeping initiative is concentrated on decreasing public involvement, reducing environmental protection and increasing access to our National Forests and other federal lands for timber companies. Real public protection requires honest fuel reduction a quarter-mile around communities and involving the public and community leaders in long-term education and planning. Instead, the President's plan would promote logging of large, commercially valuable trees miles from at-risk communities. With fire season rapidly approaching, there will be several proposals introduced in Congress during the coming weeks that would help make the President's plan a reality. Call your Member of Congress and urge him or her to oppose any Bush administration attack on forest protection. National Forest Protection and Restoration Act Co-Sponsorship Drive After 113 Members of Congress agreed to cosponsor the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act upon its introduction in 2002, we're hoping for an even bigger success this year. Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA) will introduce the bill later this spring. [See more details below on the NFPRA] Roadless Victory On April 9, 2003, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied petitions by the state of Idaho and Boise Cascade Corp. for the full appeals court to reconsider a decision by a three-judge panel in what has come to be known as the Roadless Rule case. By refusing to rehear the case, the entire 9th Circuit has upheld its Dec. 12 decision that an Idaho judge's injunction blocking the roadless rule was an abuse of discretion. The appeals court has seven days to lift the injunction or remand it back to the district court. The roadless policy, adopted in the final days of the Clinton administration, aimed to protect 58.5 million acres of virgin forest from development, such as logging and road building. Several Western states, interest groups and business sued to stop the rule from taking effect. It's unclear if they'll appeal Friday's 9th Circuit decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. About one-fourth of roadless acres in national forests are in Alaska's Tongass and Chugach forests. By Mitzi Emrich Here's what the NFPRA will do: The National Forest Protection and Restoration Act, to be introduced soon by Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA) will end the practice of forcing Americans to pay to cut down their National Forests and other federal publicly-owned forests and move to restore damaged areas. This is what the bill will achieve: End commercial logging on National Forests and federal public lands. The NFPRA stops the use of federal public forests for private commercial logging but allows the gathering of firewood and other wood for individual use. This alone will protect vital fish and wildlife habitat and save taxpayers approximately $500 million a year. Establish a "Natural Heritage Restoration Corps" to replant and restore damaged forest lands. The Restoration Corps will replant native forests in areas converted to non-natural vegetative cover, stabilize eroded slopes and damaged soils to prevent and reduce erosion and restore damaged fish and wildlife habitat. Establish and follows the best scientific recommendations for restoration and future management. A Committee of Scientists will be formed to compile the best scientific and technical data on guidelines for restoring damaged forest lands in each region of the country. For more information on National Forest management and Sierra Club's National Forest Protection campaign see www.sierraclub.org/logging - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp