From: alra@governance.net Subject: Healthy Forest Vote Tuesday, May 20th Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 – E-mail: alra@landrights.org Web Address: http://www.landrights.org Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003 Phone: 202-210-2357 – Fax: 202-543-7126 – E-mail: landrightsnet@aol.com Healthy Forest Vote Tuesday, May 20th FLASH -- Healthy Forests Restoration Act is one step closer to passing the US House of Representatives!!! Floor vote next Tuesday, May 20th! The Healthy Forests Restoration Act made a successful detour to the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday because of some jurisdiction issues. It passed. URGENT ACTION REQUIRED HR 1904 is now expected to be voted on the House Floor early Tuesday, May 20th. Call your Congressman each day Friday, Monday and Tuesday. If your Congressman’s personal line is busy (and we hope it is) call him at the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121 or the temporary FREE NUMBER (800) 648-3516. Ask him to support the passage of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003. ALSO SEND A FAX. IT IS URGENT!! It is vital that YOU CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN NOW to urge him to support healthy forests. If you don’t have your Congressman’s fax, just call the toll free number and ask for it. Call your friends and neighbors. You must make his phone and fax numbers ring off the hook. The bill would empower federal land managers with the tools to implement scientifically supported management practices on overstocked federal forests, while establishing new conservation programs focused on improving water quality and regenerating declining forest ecosystem types on non-federal lands. This legislation is crucial for protecting our air, water and wildlife from insect infestations and catastrophic wildfires. The status quo of government bureaucracy has lead to a sharp decline in the health of the forests. Or go to LandSense.us and click on ACTION ALERT to send a letter to your Member of Congress. While codifying the public participation requirements set out in the bipartisan Western Governors Association 10-year wildfire management strategy, the bill gives the Forest Service and the BLM discretionary authority to limit analysis during the NEPA-phase to the proposed agency action, meaning the agencies would not be required to analyze and describe a number of different alternatives to the preferred course. Establishes an alternative administrative review process for the Forest Service, ensuring a more timely airing of administrative challenges. Additionally, the bill would require the federal judiciary to periodically renew any preliminary injunctions issued against a project, while directing the courts to give consideration to the potentially devastating environmental consequences associated with management inaction. Establishes two grant programs to encourage energy-related utilization of the otherwise valueless wood, chips, brush, thinnings and slash removed in conjunction with projects on federal forests and rangelands focused on reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire and insect infestation and disease. Creates a Watershed Forestry program to provide financial and technical support needed by private forest landowners to better manage their lands in order to protect water quality, restore watershed conditions, improve municipal water supplies, and address threats to forest health, including catastrophic wildfire. The bill directs the Department of Agriculture to conduct an accelerated program to plan, conduct, and promote systematic information gathering on certain insect types that have caused large-scale damage to forest ecosystems. It also establishes early detection programs for insect and disease infestations, so that agencies can isolate and treat adverse conditions before they reach epidemic levels The bill establishes a Healthy Forests Reserve Program, that would establish conservation easements (ranging in length from 10-years to permanent with a semi-regular buyout option) on one million acres of declining forest ecosystem types that are critical to, amongst other things, the recovery of threatened, endangered and other sensitive species. Please forward this message as widely as possible. -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.