CALENDAR
Feb. 13-16 - Thurs.- Sun. - Headwaters' 6th Annual Western Ancient Forest Activists Conference - Ashland, Oreg. - Bounce back from the Rider and strategize for the future - Call 385-6271 for info NEW FOREST SERVICE CHIEF
Dare Hope Spring Again?
Mike Dombeck, the new chief of the Forest Service, gave his first speech to 500 Forest Service workers on Jan. 6, an AP article reports.
"We cannot meet the needs of the people if we do not first conserve and restore the health of the land," he told the crowd. The former fisheries biologist and guide from northern Wisconsin indicated he was willing to stand up against Republicans out to gut environmental laws.
"My expectation is that everything we do--every environmental impact statement we write, every timber sale, recreation plan, mining plan or allotment management plan we approve--will not compromise the health of the land."
Dombeck, 48, was picked last month to succeed retiring Chief Jack Ward Thomas. "This country is blessed with having elected people of foresight and wisdom who just a few decades ago gave us a legacy that included the most progressive and effective network of conservation laws in the world. And they have worked," he said.
"We are a better, more secure and stronger nation because of laws such as the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Forest Management Act. These laws represent the conservation values of mainstream America. Do not be disturbed by the debate surrounding their execution. Don't worry about it. This is background noise to a complex society and a healthy, properly functioning democracy."
Dombeck's chief of staff will be Francis Pandolfi, a board member of several conservation groups, including Trout Unlimited and the National Audubon Society.
ADMINISTRATION HALTED ADVERTISING NEW RIDER SALES
The Clinton Administration decided Dec. 11 that no more salvage sales would be advertised under the salvage rider. The normal advertising period begins 30 days before a sale is auctioned, but in the rush to get sales out the Forest Service had shortened this period to as little as 15 days. A sale had to be auctioned by Dec. 31 to be a rider sale, exempt from citizen appeal or legal challenge. So unless a sale had already been advertised, it could not be offered as a rider sale. This directive by Asst. Sec. of Agriculture Jim Lyons did not include sales on an earlier exemption list.
However a review of Lyons' directive showed the order still allowed hundreds of millions of board feet of timber to be sold before the Clearcut Rider expired.
"Since there is a 15-day waiting period between when a timber sale can be advertised and sold," Lance Robertson wrote in the Register-Guard (Eugene, Oreg.-12/14/96), "the Forest Service would be hard-pressed to put up any additional timber anyway." In other words, the Lyons' directive applied only to sales advertised December 12 and 13.
According to The Oregonian (Portland, Oreg.-12/13/96), 366.1 million board feet of trees from forests in Washington and Oregon--"enough to load 73,224 log trucks, a caravan that would stretch from Portland to Salt Lake City"--were up for auction under the Clearcut Rider. At least 55 million additional board feet were scheduled for logging in California. At best Lyons' directive addressed only 19.6 million board feet--less than 5 percent of the total to be logged.
Detailed results of the rider are still being evaluated.
Santa and his elves made a stop at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Supervisor's Office in Vancouver, Wash. before Christmas to deliver coal to Supervisor Ted Stubblefield, who was on Santa's list of "naughty" boys and girls for the Rider year.
Unlike many of the timber sale auctions held recently, the auction of the Jammin' Timber Sale was open to some members of the public. Santa signed up to be on the list of attendees, but he was denied access into the bidding room despite his willingness to provide gifts for everyone in the room. "No costumes," said the Forest Service. Santa replied, "This isn't my costume, this is what Santa always wears!" Despite Santa's admonitions, the Jammin' sale was auctioned.
NEW YEAR, NEW SEN. CRAIG PROPOSAL
Mike Anderson, senior resource analyst for The Wilderness Society, has prepared a brief, preliminary analysis of the "Public Land Management Responsibility and Accountability Restoration Act" (12/5/96 draft) proposed by Senator Larry Craig.
Senator Craig's 100-page bill would affect all national forests and all lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). While its stated purpose is to improve management efficiency and stability, the bill would dramatically change the way federal lands are managed. The bill would reduce or eliminate current environmental safeguards and public participation and give logging, mining, and grazing interests broad power over public lands.
Some highlights (lowlights?) include:
*The bill exempts the Forest Service and BLM from the interagency consultation process now required by the Endangered Species Act; thus, land managers would be responsible for policing their own activities in endangered species habitat (Sec. 203(a)).
*Activities that could jeopardize an endangered species would be allowed to continue even while the land managers are reviewing the impacts of their management plans on those species (Sec. 203(b)).
*The bill undercuts the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by generally prohibiting the agencies from preparing environmental impact statements for timber sales or other activities, regardless of how much environmental damage the activity would cause (Sec. 202(b)).
*Contrary to NEPA, the bill forbids consideration of the cumulative environmental effects of specific management activities; similarly, impacts on water quality could only be considered at the site-specific level, preventing analysis of downstream impacts on water users, for example (Sec. 103(b)).
*Environmental protection requirements in management plans would be converted to non-binding "policies," while expected timber and other commodity outputs would be mandatory (Sec. 103(a)).
*The Northwest Forest Plan apparently would be terminated within two years, requiring the agencies to amend each national forest and BLM district plan in the region (Sec. 102(d)). A forestry association would be assigned responsibility for evaluating the Plan and recommending changes (Sec. 306).
*The bill repeals the law requiring the Forest Service to give the public an opportunity to comment on proposed management activities (Sec. 115(c)).
*Forest Service and BLM officials would be able to impose $10,000 fines on people for filing administrative appeals that the officials consider to be "frivolous" or causing "unwarranted delay" (Sec. 115(b)(9)).
*The bill incorporates 17 of the 19 recommendations by the American Forest and Paper Association designed to give the timber industry greater influence over the national forests.
*The bill reverses current law by requiring the Forest Service and BLM to use private contractors to prepare timber sales (Sec. 410). Furthermore, timber sale boundaries could be expanded by 20% without public notice or environmental review (Sec. 411).
*The bill authorizes transferring management authority over entire national forests and BLM districts from the federal government to the states (Sec. 601).
*Once a state gains management authority over federal lands, federal environmental laws and management plans would no longer apply to those lands (Sec. 605).
*The bill requires the agencies to calculate the cost of protecting resources from exploitation, ignoring both the many potential economic benefits of resource protection and the fact that the government's costs of exploitation may exceed revenues, as is the case with below-cost timber sales (Sec. 111).
Forest activists will follow the progress of this proposal and will continue to expose its assault on public property rights.
GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE PLANNING BEGINS
Each year during the congressional Appropriations process national forest policy is made. This is accomplished either by appropriating funds and giving instructions about how they will be spent, or by simply adding instructions to the managers' report that accompanies the Appropriations bill. As most of you know this process is not always friendly to the environment.
Remember, it was a supplemental Appropriations bill that brought us the Clearcut Rider. The process however has potential to yield positives for the environment. For example, last year Rep. Kennedy's Amendment to prohibit new road construction failed by only one vote. In the same venue, the Clearcut Rider was almost rescinded. As you know, those votes were the result of major organizing efforts. In the case of roads, The Wilderness Society, The Greenscissors Coalition, WAFC and others have been working the issue in Appropriations for several years.
Planning is beginning for a package of 3-5 items which we can all support and work to enact. Potential elements of the initiative being discussed include: Reduction of Fire Risk; Reforming the Road Program; Restoring Accountability; and Ending Money-Losing Timber Sales.
Stay tuned; we'll be providing more information on this.
*A public meeting regarding jetski use on Lake Crescent will be held Thursday, Jan. 16, from 7-9:30 p.m. in Port Angeles at the Vern Burton Memorial Community Center, 308 East Fourth St. There are concerns regarding jetski noise levels and other disturbances to wildlife as well as other park visitors.
Send written comments through March 19 addressed to: Dave Morris, Superintendent, Olympic National Park, 600 East Park Ave., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
*We hope to find out what damage occurred to the Olympic Natl. Forest and roads due to our recent heavy snows and rains. So far there have been reports of some slides, road washouts, broken trees from ice damage, and blowdown from high winds. It sounds like the ground at Rocky is still probably stationary, due to being high enough in elevation to have kept its snow cover.
*QUAFCO members attended a field trip of the Clavicle Habitat Development Study timber sale area on the Soleduck District on Dec. 10. Alternatives are being developed and the EA is planned to be ready Feb. 25.
*The Quilcene District is planning a Habitat Development Study timber sale for the Snow Creek area, Snow White. Development of alternatives is occurring, and will probably be ready for public comment by April 1.
*A Peninsula chapter of the Association for Women in Science is forming. AWIS is committed to the achievement of equity and full participation of women in all areas of science and technology. The group is for people who support women in science, mathematics, and engineering in: academia; government; industry; policy planning; medicine; and leadership. Dues are on a sliding scale. For more information please contact Jennifer Cahalan at 360/385-5961.
QUAFCO News January 1997
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