Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, H.R. 858 is a good bill. It helps working people, it helps the environment, it saves the forest, and it helps wildlife. It certainly is not everything that I hoped for in terms of timber supply, and I will be the first one to say that again. But it is what the people in northern California want, and in northern California the people are directly affected, and I say all the people, and they deserve congressional help. This is a pilot project. The bill is just as simple, just like the Quincy Library Group agreement. It directs the Forest Service to implement a science-based fire protection and forest health plan for three national forests in northern California. There are two cornerstones of the bill. Thinning, taking the volatility out of the forest, and fuelbreak work outside of roadless areas; and, second, a requirement to build fuelbreaks on 40,000 to 60,000 acres per year in roaded areas. This means thinning smaller trees, leaving larger trees, and generally improving the habitat and the condition of forests. I want to stress again, everyone wins with this bill: Local environmental groups, timber workers, again the wildlife, school children, and communities throughout the region.”