Bush Administration's Wildfire Bill Fails to Protect Communities

[Nambe]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 /U.S. Newswire/

The Administration's bill falls far short of what should be the primary goal of any wildfire legislation -- protecting communities and keeping people safe from the risks of wildfire. The Bush-backed measure does not provide the funding needed to protect communities and instead uses the fear of fire to gut bedrock environmental laws and tip the scales of justice in our courts. The bill also focuses solely on federal lands, but studies show that 85 percent of the land surrounding communities most at risk from wildfire is private, state, or tribal -- not federal. --

The Administration bill gives the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management the authority -- when developing logging projects -- to sharply curtail environmental safeguards by eliminating the development and review of alternative actions that would be less harmful to forests. The consideration of such alternatives is currently required under the National Environmental Policy Act. Federal courts have called this consideration of alternatives the very "heart of NEPA." ---

[PartyPooper]

1. Sadly, this is no surprise.

Bush doesn't give a damn about our natural resources. This especially includes people as well as forest lands!

[LauraK]

2. The forest service did a cost estimate just for one nat. forest...

in Oregon and it was for over $2 Billion. His plan is a front for stopping those trying to save the 10% left of our old growth.