Nancy Pelosi: “make no mistake--there's nothing healthy about this bill. It's ``managed care'' gone off the scale. HR 3530 would…”

“make no mistake--there's nothing healthy about this bill. It's ``managed care'' gone off the scale. HR 3530 would encourage further destruction of our national forests by encouraging logging, limiting public participation in the process and exploiting some of our most environmentally sensitive forest areas. We have been through this debate. The rationale in HR 3530 is the same rationale used in the ``Salvage Logging Rider'' which had devastating effects on forests in the name of ``forest health.'' It was a mistake then; it is a mistake now. The U.S. Forest Service has already confirmed that the ``forest ``health'' crisis this bill purports to address does not exist. It is simply another excuse for salvage logging that will permit logging of old growth forests and transfer money from road and trail maintenance to unnecessary logging activities. Currently, there is a $10 billion backlog in road maintenance throughout our national forests. It does not make sense to defer this spending and embark on a frivolous logging program. In addition to this, the bill actually creates an incentive for logging by setting up a special forest management fund that would be fed by the sale of commercial timber. The more trees you cut in the name of ``forest health''--the more revenues deposited in the account. We do not need another fund.…”