DeLauro Statement on the Bush Proposal to Dismantle the Roadless Area Conservation
DeLauro Statement on the Bush Proposal to Dismantle the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today in regard to her opposition of the Administration's proposal to dismantle the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The plan, to permit logging, mining, and drilling in millions of acres of roadless areas of national forests was announced by the Administration on July 12th. A 60-day public comment period was announced on July 16th. DeLauro spoke at a press conference this morning with other Members of Congress and many environmental groups. Her statement is below.
We are all here today because of a shared concern about our National Forests and the imminent threat they face. When this Administration came into office three-and-a-half years ago, it pledged to uphold the Roadless Rule that prevented the construction of new roads in 60 million acres of our national forests and received close to 3 million comments - the vast majority of which were made in favor of protecting our nation's wild forests. The Roadless Rule was, by far, the most popular conservation policy in our nation's history.
Given such overwhelming popularity, you can understand why the incoming Secretary of Agriculture said then the Administration was, quote, "committed to maintaining the character of designated, authentic roadless areas." But with the recent decision to set aside these rules, it appears, once again, that the Administration has gone back on its public commitment to protecting the environment to benefit its friends in industry.
In truth, saying one thing and doing another is becoming a hallmark of this Administration. First it was the Kyoto Treaty and the Administration's pledge during the last campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Then it was arsenic in the drinking water. There was the "Healthy Forests Act," which theorized that the health of our forests depended on cutting them down. And now this. We here in Washington may have come to expect it, but the American people deserve better.
The headline from the Agriculture Secretary's press release the day of this announcement really says it all: "Veneman Acts to Conserve Roadless Areas in National Forests." My friends, nothing could be further from the truth. This rule would eviscerate protections for some of the nation's last unspoiled wilderness.
Until now, the Roadless rule has put a large piece of our national forests off-limits from logging while maintaining a reasonable balance of use. Currently, more than half of national forest lands remain open for road building, logging, mining and other activities. But with this decision, there would be no automatic protection. Instead, the areas would again be subject to development.
The Administration would have you believe that this proposal allows for more "coordination" between the Federal government and the states on these matters. And indeed, governors would be allowed to request that their state's roadless status be maintained. But the Forest Service is under no obligation to grant this request. In fact, governors could also petition the U.S. Forest Service to allow for more development. Essentially, this rule would throw out the idea of having our national forests governed by a national standard, instead allowing decisions to be influenced by special interests like the timber industry, which already benefits from government-subsidized roads and timber sales. So much for the more than two-and-a-half million public comments submitted in defense of the Roadless Rule.
The Administration will tell you they did it to reduce the number of lawsuits on the matter. But instead of having timber companies sue the government about this rule, the change will simply mean that public interest groups who have been standing up to protect this rule for almost four years will be taking their case to our judicial system.
Some of you may know that I have introduced legislation, the Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act, that offers permanent protection status for nearly 14 million acres and 81 river systems of the Chugach and Tongass National Forests, while still permitting small-scale timber operators to continue to utilize areas already containing logging roads and infrastructure. Along with Congressman Inslee's legislation, it recognizes something this Administration apparently does not - that National Forests are something we should hold dear for years to come, that we can strike a sensible balance between economic and environmental concerns in our national forests. It recognizes that scenic federal lands are perhaps the single greatest factor in attracting new residences and businesses to these states - businesses like commercial fishing and tourism, as well as sports, hunting and recreational fishing, all of which contribute greatly to local economies.
And so, today we are putting this Administration on notice - 3 million Americans voiced their opinion about protecting these 34 million acres of pristine wilderness, and you are ignoring the vast majority of those voices. The time has come to permanently safeguard these areas of unparalleled ecological value. Future generations depend on it.