[at-l] The Other MacKaye Vision

[camojack at comcast.net (camojack@comcast.net)]

A grip, you say? How 'bout a point & click? 

I can copy & paste things, too:
(Reality, methinks, lies between)
On December 3, 2003, President Bush signed into law the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to reduce the threat of destructive wildfires while upholding environmental standards and encouraging early public input during review and planning processes. The legislation is based on sound science and helps further the President's Healthy Forests Initiative pledge to care for America's forests and rangelands, reduce the risk of catastrophic fire to communities, help save the lives of firefighters and citizens, and protect threatened and endangered species. 
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act: 
Strengthens public participation in developing high priority forest health projects; 
Reduces the complexity of environmental analysis allowing federal land agencies to use the best science available to actively manage land under their protection; 
Provides a more effective appeals process encouraging early public participation in project planning; and 
Issues clear guidance for court action against forest health projects. 
The Administration and a bipartisan majority in Congress supported the legislation and are joined by a variety of environmental conservation groups. 
The Need for Common-Sense Forest Legislation 
Catastrophic fires, particularly those experienced in California, Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Oregon over the past two years, burn hotter and faster than most ordinary fires. 
Visibility and air quality are reduced, threatening even the health of many who do not live near the fires. 
The habitat for endangered species and other wildlife is destroyed. 
Federal forests and rangelands also face threats from the spread of invasive species and insect attacks. 
In the past two years alone, 147,049 fires burned nearly 11 million acres 
2002: 88,458 fires burned roughly 7 million acres and caused the deaths of 23 firefighters; 
2003 (thus far): 59,149 fires have burned 3.8 million acres and caused the deaths of 28 firefighters. 
Nearly 6,800 structures have been destroyed in 2003 (approximately 4,800 in California). 
The California fires alone cost $250 million to contain and 22 civilians have died as a result.
-"Camo"
-------------- Original message -------------- 
In a message dated 7/22/2005 9:16:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, camojack@comcast.net writes:



I'm fully aware of the clear-cutting that has occurred in the past, and not just in Maine. I am glad that a more sensible approach to forestry, sustainable harvesting AND old growth being left alone, has become the order of the day.



Get a grip friend, the HFI is nothing of the sort....




Debunking the "Healthy Forests Initiative"


The Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI) is President Bushâ??s response to the past yearâ??s forest fires. The initiative is based on the false assumption that landscape-wide logging will decrease forest fires.

This premise is contradicted by the general scientific consensus, which has found that logging can increase fire risk. This disconnect between what the administration says and what science says about logging and fire reveals the administrationâ??s true goal which is to use the forest fire issue to cut the public out of the public lands management decision making process and to give logging companies virtually free access to our National Forests. The HFI, if fully enacted, would:


Limit environmental analysis and limit public participation by (a) excluding environmental analysis for any site-specific project the Forest Service and BLM claim will reduce hazardous fuels, including post-fire salvage projects; and by (b) limiting public participation by allowing "hazardous fuels reduction projects" to be categorically excluded and suspends citizen's rights to appeal projects. 




Accelerate aggressive "thinning" across millions of acres of backcountry forests miles away from communities at risk to forest fires.




Uses 'Goods for services' as the Funding Mechanism by (a) allowing the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to give away trees to logging companies as payment for any management activity, including logging on public lands; and (b) creating a powerful new incentive to log large fire-resistant trees, old growth, and other commercially valuable forests. Here's what's hiding behind the smoke:
More detail on the Bush Administration's Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI)

Using the hype of the 2002 fire season, the Bush administration proposed a series of drastic administrative changes to the way our National Forests are managed. Combined, these proposals will give free reign to the timber industry across National Forests under the guise of "fuel reduction." The President's ill-named "Healthy Forests Initiative" will do little to protect communities and homes from forest fires, instead this sweeping initiative is concentrated on decreasing public involvement, reducing environmental protection and increasing access to our National Forests and other federal lands for timber companies.

Real public protection requires honest fuel reduction a quarter-mile around communities and involving the public and community leaders in long-term education and planning. Instead, the President's plan would promote logging of large, commercially valuable trees miles from at-risk communities. When the plan met with widespread public skepticism and Congress adjourned in late 2002 without passing Bush's legislation, the President decided to act by decree, pushing parts of his plan through administratively. The administration then began a series of new National Forest management proposals to limit the analysis of environmental impacts, repeal the ability of the public to appeal bad projects and increase the degradation of wild forests. Each proposal will increase harm to forest habitat and wildlife; together these proposals will turn scientific forest management back 40 years.From rafeb at speakeasy.net  Sat Jul 23 06:20:11 2005
From: rafeb at speakeasy.net (Raphael Bustin)
Date: Sat Jul 23 07:10:59 2005
Subject: [at-l] The Other MacKaye Vision
Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20050723082006.00aa1e20@mail.speakeasy.net>

At 06:10 AM 7/23/2005 +0000, Camo wrote:

>The Administration and a bipartisan majority in Congress supported the 
>legislation and are joined by a variety of environmental conservation groups.


Really?  Name a few.

I don't drop in press releases from Sierra Club,
please don't post whole clippings from right-wing
news sources.  Or at least be so kind to identify
them when you do.


rafe b
aka terrapin  


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