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Last Tuesday (5/20), the House approved HR
1904, The Healthy Forests Restoration Act by recorded vote: 256-170.
- President
Bush supported the bill and urged the Senate to act on it promptly.
- Please
contact your U.S. Senators to urge them to start creating the similar legislation
to implement President Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative.
The
House passed HR 1904, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act last Tuesday. This bill
would encourage energy-related utilization of the otherwise valueless wood, chips,
brush, thinnings and slash removed in conjunction with projects on federal forests
and rangelands focused on reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire and insect
infestation and disease. For implementing this project we now need Senate's prompt
action. President Bush who endorsed the bill commended House for action on healthy
forests and urged the Senate to act on it quickly. The following is the summary
of his remarks at the East Garden last Tuesday:
"For too many years, bureaucratic tangles and bad forest policy have prevented
foresters from keeping our woodlands healthy and safe. Last year 23 firefighters
died while battling disastrous forest fires. Those fires last year scorched 7
million acres, more than double the average of the last 10 years. Major blazes
burned in 15 states across our country, destroyed 815 homes. It cost the taxpayers
about $1.6 billion of fire suppression. Wildfires in unnaturally overgrown forest
burn hotter and spread faster than normal fires. And their effects on the environment
can be devastating. The fires sterilize soils and trigger soil erosion. Sound
Science shows that we can prevent such fires by managing forests with controlled
fire, cleaning out the underbrush and thinning the areas that are vulnerable to
intense fires and insect attacks. I appreciate the Congress' hard work on the
Healthy Forests Restoration Act. I urge Congress to get it done, to get it to
my desk as quickly as possible. The bipartisan bill sets the goal of thinning
trees and cleaning out underbrush, and restoring the health to 20 million acres.
This bill sets priorities for forest management by authorizing work in the areas
that are closest to rural communities, and work where there's the greatest risk
for environmental damage." For
your reference: National
Grange Action Alert on 5/12/03: The Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HR 1904) Should
Be Passed! National
Grange Action Alert on 9/30/02 : The President's Healthy Forests Initiative Should
be Supported For Enactment National
President's letter to President Bush (9/10/02) Action
Plan --- Please contact your U.S. Senators to urge them to start creating
the similar legislation to the House bill (HR 1904) to implement President Bush's
Healthy Forests Initiative. Senators
If
you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Research Analyst
Chil-Sook Hwang by fax: 202-347-1091
or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 109. Thank you for your grassroots participation
in the National Grange Legislative program. Want
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