AP: White House Aims to Abolish Logging Rule

[MallRat]

White House Aims to Abolish Logging Rule
By BOB FICK, Associated Press Writer

BOISE, Idaho - The Bush administration Monday proposed lifting a national rule that closed remote areas of national forests to logging, instead saying states should decide whether to keep a ban on road-building in those areas. Environmentalists immediately criticized the change as the biggest timber industry giveaway in history.

Under the proposal, governors would have to petition the federal government to block road-building in remote areas of national forests. Allowing roads to be built would open the areas to logging.

The rule replaces one adopted by the Clinton administration and still under challenge in federal court. It covers about 58 million of the 191 million acres of national forest nationwide.

The Bush administration heralded the plan as an end to the legal uncertainty overshadowing tens of millions of acres of America's backcountry.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20040713/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/forest_rules



Is there ANYTHING that this Administration does that surprises you? Honest to friggin' god, is there a single environmental regulation on the books that this White House actually DOES APPROVE OF? Is there a single classically "Democratic" belief that the President agrees with? A single one?

The ideological purity of this Administration is absolutely mindboggling. There are no gray areas with this President- truly everything is cast in black and white.

Environment, BAD. Business, GOOD. Iraq, BAD. Tax cuts for the wealthy, GOOD. International coalitions, BAD. Unilateral pre-emptive war based on skewed intelligence, GOOD. Abortion, BAD. Federal funding of faith-based charities, GOOD.

I think this election is going to ride on whether enough Americans have an adult view of the world. If a majority of voters consider the world to be an imperfect place where nations and people try to work towards compromise for common good and tolerance, we're going to be OK.

But if voters think we're locked in a Manichean struggle over absolutely every single facet of our lives, from education to healthcare to foreign policy, then WE'RE SCREWED.

[wyethwire]

1. Overturns another Clinton legacy n/t

[AlecBGreen]

2. MallRat

Honest to friggin' God, is there a single environmental regulation on the books that this White House actually DOES APPROVE OF?

*cheers* I couldnt have said it better myself

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. Only the ones that conserve

republican ass.

[bleowheels]

3. He has to get rid of as many of Clinton's pro-environmental measures ...

as possible in the few months he has left.

[truthisfreedom]

5. goofball. if he wanted to do something right, he could work with Congress

to develop new laws to guarantee that proper work is done in our forests to protect against fire without damaging our precious National wildlands.

don't worry... when Kerry and Edwards get in, they'll reverse all of these stupid manoevers so fast it will make the gop's heads spin.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lorien]

7. The National Forests belong to EVERY American

not just those who contribute the most to *! This is the same as the looting of our National treasury, and I damn well wish Kerry would SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT! The National forests are our generations responsibility to protect for every generation that follows. We cannot allow them to be betrayed in this manner!

Just how can any member of BushCo say they believe in God when they don't have an ounce of respect for His creation? Will any child grow up to see what any part of the world looks like unscarred by our uncontrolled greed?

[Hobarticus]

8. Enviornmentalism is not just a "Democratic" principle.

It belongs to ALL of us. Democrats have failed in not selling that point to voters, that it's not just for nature lovers. We ALL benefit from a clean enviornment, just as much as we all suffer from a Bush enviornmental policy.

[Lorien]

9. True "conservatives"

would see the benefit in conservation of our unspoiled wilderness. Neo-conservatives can't see past tomorrows big profits and political paybacks.

[DeepModem Mom]

10. Wish our campaign would hammer this, in terms of env. and corp. giveaway

....I think people would listen.

[slipperduke]

11. How well is this being reported over there?

That's the key really. If your bumbling fool of a leader can release a 'terror alert' and push this off the schedules it'll be an environmental disaster. Alliances can be rebuilt , tax breaks can be rescinded, but if that moron starts drilling through nature reserves, it'll take generations to repair the damage.

I say this every time I visit, but please; don't forget to vote.

[theoceansnerves]

12. profits from public land

"The Bush administration heralded the plan as an end to the legal uncertainty overshadowing tens of millions of acres of America's backcountry. "

it's not backcountry, it's our country's fucking national heritage!

[blindpig]

13. THIS is where we go after the middle

Enough of this crap of wooing the middle by backing off of our principles! The environment is a win-win issue for the Dems if only they pick it up and run with it. Lots & lots of moderates and even conservatives while not environmentalists are certainly conservationists. Significant portions of the gun & rod communities are deeply disturbed by the junta's disregard for their interests. Instead of going after a questionable number of votes in the middle and pissing off many of us on the left by dancing around Iraq, taxes, gay marriage and other issues this is a painless way of attacking bu$hes base. It needs to be hammered 24/7.
Let us call upon the shade of my favorite conservative, Teddy Roosevelt, to return to this earthly plane with his Big Stick to smite these sumbitches!

[DeepModem Mom]

15. Excellent thoughts! Why didn't Al Gore make the centerpiece...

of his political career, the issue of the environment, an issue in '00, and why are we not hammering it now -- to the middle?

[blindpig]

17. I'm afraid it's because

so many Dems are beholden to powers with earth raping agendas. Consider Robert Byrd, who has been a real warrior since day one on Iraq but is owned by Big Coal.
I was never too impressed by Gore's environmentalism as he maintains that economic growth is compatible with preserving the planet. I don't see that being possible with our current economic model.

[rfkrocks]

14. George "the great destroyer" bush

destroying the environment is "do able" there are quite a few "high quality" tree targets in the forest

[CabalPowered]

16. They've already started building roads...

I was day hiking in the Wallowa N. Forest over the weekend. Tons of salvage logging and at least two new roads being built. Wish I would've grabbed some pics...

[newyawker99]

21. Hi CabalPowered!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[tabasco]

18. You think Al Gore would allow this ??!!??

Anybody still believe there's no difference????

This infuriates me. The criminal cabal will accelerate the destruction as they realize they will not retain the Presidency.

[DemoTex]

19. I live in the wilds of the NC mountains.

I am sandwiched in between the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. In the early 1900s the robber barons clear-cut the timber from this land. What we have now is relatively new growth, and it took 100 years to get that. They hired bounty hunters to come in and kill the pesky panthers, black bears, and other critters of the forest. The black bears are, again, plentiful. Panthers are making a slow comeback from near extinction in these parts.

I fully expect President Kerry, as one of his first orders of business, to issue Executive Orders re-instating all pre-Bu$h environmental regulations. In fact, if Kerry doesn't get a bad case of writers' cramp from signing Executive Orders in the first days of his administration, he won't be doing his job.

[tom_paine]

20. Looks like it's time for Western DUers to dust off their Abbey books

Wish I was there with ya'.

"Good. I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."
--Han Solo