October 14, 1999
Washington, DC -- Congress George Nethercutt (R-Spokane) today blasted
President Clinton's recent proposal to declare 40 million acres of
National Forest Service land as roadless areas, stopping any public access
to such lands.
"Once again, the President and his East Coast urban environmentalist
advisors have declared war on the West by locking up land that is the
economic base of Eastern Washington and the rest of the Pacific
Northwest," Nethercutt said. "While we know that we have a responsibility
to balance the needs of the environment with the economic needs of our
citizens, this move is the height of irrresponsibility and is an obvious
attempt by the President to create some type of legacy at the expense of
my constituents," he continued.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Clinton proposal would lock
up almost two-and-a-half million acres in the Pacific Northwest region,
which includes both Washington and Oregon. This is in addition to the
four-and-a-half million acres already declared as wilderness areas.
"The President obviously has no concept of how dependent the small
rural communities of the Pacific Northwest are on the Forest Service
lands. Locking up these lands will close down small businesses and turn
our rural communities into ghost towns," Nethercutt concluded.
Nethercutt, and 27 other Members of Congress, signed a letter to Mike
Dombeck, Chief of the USDA Forst Service (copy attached) reiterating their
concerns about the philosophy which governs public access to public lands.
The President's proposed Forest Protection Plan would require no
Congressional action. It relies, instead, on regulations to be issued by
the U. S. Forest Service after environmental review and public comment.
