|
Last
May, 2003, the House passed HR 1904, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. 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.
We
now need Senate's prompt action. With the horrendous fires in Southern California
burning right now we can make a tremendous impact with our letters and calls.
The beetle infested trees that are dead in the forests have allowed the fires
to be much worse than they would have been. If you have been able to watch them
on TV, they just absolutely explode when subjected to fire and heat. This
is only the tip of the disaster cycle for the individuals and local governments
in these fire areas. When we get our El Nino rains in a few months we will have
tremendous flooding. The public can no longer sit around and allow legislators
to do nothing while FEMA makes grants and loans public funds to those in the impacted
areas wasting money that is needed for other things. We need to hold the legislators
"Feet to the Fire" and make them do what should have been done months ago. For
your reference: National
Grange Action Alert 5/22/03: Now We Need The Senate's Immediate Action For The
Healthy Forests Restoration! National
Grange Action Alert 5/12/03: The Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HR 1904) Should
Be Passed! National
Grange Action Alert 9/30/02: The President's Healthy Forests Initiative Should
be Supported For Enactment National
Grange President's letter to President Bush on Healthy Forests Initiative (9/10/02)
President
Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative
Action
Plan --- Please call, fax or e-mail your U.S. Senators and key Senators on
the Healthy Forests issue to urge them to pass the similar legislation to H.R.
1904 to implement President Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative. Contact
information for U.S. Senators
Dianne Feinstein (D) California • email
331
HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510 | Phone:
202-224-3841 | Fax:
202-228-3954 |
Jeff Bingaman (D) New Mexico • email
703
HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
| Phone:
202-224-5521 | Fax:
202-224-2852 | Ron
Wyden (D) Oregon • email
516
HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
| Phone:
202-224-5244 | Fax:
202-228-2717 | Patty
Murray (D) Washington • email
173
RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510 | Phone:
202-224-2621 | Fax:
202-224-0238 | Murray
Tom Harkin (D) Iowa • email
731
HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510 | Phone:
202-224-3254 | Fax:
202-224-9369 | Olympia
Snowe (R) Maine • email
154
RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510 | Phone:
202-224-5344 | Fax:
202-224-1946 | Susan
Collins (R) Maine • email
172
RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510 | Phone:
202-224-2523 | Fax:
202-224-2693 | John
Warner (R) Virginia • email
225
RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510 | Phone:
202-224-2023 | Fax:
202-224-6295 |
| Sample
letter : |
|
Dear
Senator _______:
I
am writing to you to ask you to support Healthy Forest legislation and stop the
unnecessary waste of resources. The damage done in the current firestorms in Southern
California is an excellent example of what happens when we are not allowed to
manage our forests. Not
only have we witnessed the tragic loss of life and property this past week, but
we know that there is a tremendous cost to the Federal, State and local budgets.
Soon after the fires are put out, we are going to have "El Nino" rains, which
will bring flooding to these same areas that are now under siege. As
a taxpayer I urge you to stop the needless expense of dollars through FEMA grants
and loans from the government and pass a healthy forest bill that will be good
for our citizens, forests and budgets. Please implement President Bush's Healthy
Forests Initiative! Sincerely, (Name)__________________________ (Grange/Grange
name and number) __________________________
| | 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
to Subscribe To  ? For
all subscription and circulation inquiries, Contact: Jonathan
Hill. | 
