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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 31, 2006 Walden to push salvage bill Representative seeks to expedite post-fire harvests By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune For Greg Walden, the 2002 Biscuit fire salvage project was the last straw. Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District representative figured it shouldn’t take the U.S. Forest Service three years to harvest trees burned by the fire in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. So last November, the Republican from Hood River and fellow U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., introduced the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act (HR 4200), aimed at giving federal-land managers the ability to complete a swift evaluation of the condition of burned federal forestlands, then make a decision and act on it. Walden intends to push the bill when Congress returns this week from its winter recess. It could be acted on in late winter or early spring, he said. Advertisement "It wasn’t just Biscuit — that was part of it, but it was another example of the unnecessary delays," said Walden, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. "We need a much more expedited process," he added. "We can do better." Noting that other land managers, both private and public, typically act much faster following a catastrophic wildfire, Walden said the bill doesn’t waive environmental laws. Moreover, it encourages public participation in the process, as well as additional research, he said. "The core of this bill implements and expedites," he said. "It doesn’t say ‘cut every tree.’ It says, whatever the plan, here is a faster way to implement it. If the plan doesn’t cut any trees, then you don’t cut any trees." Walden stressed that the bill doesn’t prescribe, mandate or even suggest specific procedures, but simply pushes for a timely decision to be made by experts on the ground. The bill will allow appeals, but not ones that drag on for years, he said. "It seems to me that failure to act has consequences," he said. "One side can get the outcome it wants by simply delaying any action." Noting that Congressman Baird is a Democrat as well as a former local Sierra Club president from his district, Walden said the bill has more than 140 Democrat and Republican co-sponsors. He is still tweaking the measure, including giving agencies such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management more time in which to make a decision. The current bill gives the agencies 30 days following a wildfire or other disaster affecting more than 1,000 acres. Another modification will allow for pre-planning, he said, noting that pre-planning would help the Forest Service to act faster in areas like the Ashland Creek watershed. "We’re trying to say, ‘Make your decision, be able to justify it and don’t take three years to implement it,’ " he said. For more information on the bill, see the legislative Web site at: http://thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill number (HR 4200) in the search field. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at Walden to push salvage bill ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement