From the December 1999 issue of The Forestry Source
During two days of hearings in the US Senate and House of Representatives, Republican lawmakers lambasted Clinton administration officials regarding the administration's recent announcement preserving at least 40 million acres of national forest by banning road building.
Members of the Senate Energy subcommittee, particularly western Republicans, took an especially harsh tone during a hearing November 2. Subcommittee chair Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) began by describing President Clinton as "King William." Others joined in assailing the President's actions, accusing him of doing an end-run around Congress.
"The President is not king and cannot write an executive order on what will be done with 40 million acres," said Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK). "This is very offensive to Congress and the legislative process."
Clinton directed the Forest Service to propose a rule to provide long-term protection for vast stretches of roadless forests in 35 states, from the Appalachian Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada in the West. The proposed rule would ban road building in these forests, thus restricting timber harvesting and other activities. The Forest Service aims to issue the proposed rule next spring and, after public comment, adopt a final rule late in 2000.
During the hearing, the senators argued that the regulations the Forest Service is considering would more than double the country's wilderness without the congressional approval required for formal wilderness designation.
"From day one of this administration, a war of politics, rhetoric, and administrative actions has been waged on the West," said Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), who pounded the table at one point. "We're talking about a flimflam game."
During his testimony before the Senate subcommittee, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who oversees the Forest Service, defended the proposal, saying it does not designate land for wilderness, but only begins a public process to decide the future of roadless areas.
"This is not a designation of land for wilderness. That requires statutory approval by Congress," Glickman said. "The President's announcement was only the beginning of the process."
Fearing Clinton's initiative could cripple the forest products industry, lawmakers threatened future budget cuts if the USDA Forest Service continues on its present course. "I think it will be hard to defend the Forest Service's fiscal budget if we don't get some concrete answers," said Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR).
Besides Glickman, other administration officials testifying at the Senate hearing included Agriculture Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Jim Lyons and Chief of the Forest Service Mike Dombeck. The Forest Service chief, along with George Frampton, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, also testified the following day before the House Resources Committee.
The regulations could range from wilderness prohibitions against any development or vehicles to allowing snowmobiles and dune buggies in some areas, said Chief Dombeck. He also said in his testimony that of the 80,000 comments the Forest Service had received in response to an 18-month roadbuilding moratorium, the majority called for a permanent halt to road building in roadless areas.
Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, questioned the wisdom of including the Tongass National Forest in the proposed roads initiative. The Tongass was not included in the 18-month roadbuilding moratorium because it has a relatively recent management plan.
To see the SAF position on roads in national forests, visit the SAF website at http://www.safnet.org/policy/psst/roadspos.htm.
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