Sale of 300,000 Acres of National Forest Proposed
More than 300,000 acres of national forest and up to a half million acres of other public lands would be sold if Congress goes along with two proposals in President Bush’s 2007 budget. Both ideas have been widely criticized but remain in play.
The national forest land proposed for sale lies in 35 states. Proceeds would go toward rural roads and schools, primarily in the Northwest. The intent is to fill a funding void that will be created on October 1, when an existing program expires. The money has been coming from general federal revenues. The Forest Service sought public comments on the proposal and is now reviewing all that were received by the May 1 deadline.
“We want rural schools to continue receiving the funds that they need,” says Mike Anderson, a senior policy analyst in our Seattle office who helped draw up the 2000 legislation that is about to expire. “But it is elementary that you don’t sell assets to cover operating expenses. These forest lands clean our air and water, help prevent mudslides and erosion, and provide vital habitat for wildlife. As former U.S. Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck has said, ‘There is no reason that the richest nation on Earth should be funding the education of rural kids at the expense of our national forests.’” We are supporting a measure introduced by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Max Baucus (D-MT) that would provide long-term funding by closing a loophole that’s been letting some government contractors avoid paying taxes. The list of national forest parcels for sale is available at http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/spd.html.
The other half million acres on the block are overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. BLM, whose lands are in the 13 western states, has not identified the areas to be sold. The president’s proposal calls for sales that would bring in $351 million over the next decade, with 70 percent of proceeds going to the U.S. Treasury to help pay down the budget deficit.
“The places that would be sold under these two schemes are owned by all Americans,” notes Dave Alberswerth, senior policy analyst in our Washington, D.C., office. “They are part of the natural legacy that we inherit from prior generations—and should be passing on to future generations. This pawn-shop approach would establish an awful precedent.”
To help prevent the sale of these public lands, contact your representatives on Capitol Hill. .
