| Subject: Burns Asks for More Time, Info on Forests (PR
12/21/99) Author: Ben O'Connell Date: 12/21/1999 3:09 PM Available on INN as: ROADLTTR.TXT WEB SITE http://burns.senate.gov For immediate release: Burns Asks for More Time, In separate letters to Forest Chief Mike Dombeck, Montana Senator Conrad Burns today offered his input on the administration's recent proposal to withdraw roughly 50 million acres of national forest roadless land from multiple use and criticized the administration for not sufficiently seeking public comment. Burns said that the public comment period was far too short, and the Forest Service failed to provide detailed information to the public that would allow people to make completely informed decisions on the proposal. "The information provided to the public continues to be inadequate, and to make things worse, the public meetings have not included a question-and-answer session that will allow Montanans the ability to ask their forest rangers and supervisors what this proposal would actually mean for specific areas," Burns wrote. President Clinton has directed the U.S. Forest Service to study how to best conserve the agency's inventory of roadless areas in national forests. The action could effectively shut down any natural resources activities and severely curtail recreational activities on roughly an additional 50 million acres of the national forest system. Burns said that the action circumvents sufficient public and congressional input. In doing so, the administration is putting further strain on already struggling communities and families in the West without giving affected families or their representatives any effective means of recourse. Burns said that he does not know yet how much land will be affected in Montana, but estimates it will be between 6 and 10 million acres. He recently wrote to the head of the Forest Service in Montana, Dale Bosworth, requesting a breakdown on how the withdrawal will impact Montana. In both letters, Burns requested that the comment period be extended so that Montanans could make better-informed comments on the proposal. "A comment period extension of at least 120 days, coupled with specific information about which areas will be impacted and a new round of public meetings based on that information is the very least that is expected by me and the rest pf the public that has entrusted the Forest Service to manage our public lands fairly and, as the law states, in a manner that includes our local input," Burns wrote. Burns is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Forests and Public Land Management Subcommittee, both of which oversee the Forest Service. He is also a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, which funds the Forest Service. |