Martin Meehan: “I support the Bryant amendment, not only to protect Montana's forests from destruction, but to prevent loggers from…”

“I support the Bryant amendment, not only to protect Montana's forests from destruction, but to prevent loggers from forcing American taxpayers to subsidize a handout for the timber industry. Not only would this important amendment protect this precious wilderness from the devastation of logging and roadbuilding at no cost, it would save taxpayers millions of dollars in wasteful below-cost timber sales. We have heard a lot of talk about the cost of protecting the environment. This amendment is about the cost of not protecting the environment. Over the past 10 years, the American taxpayers have lost $5.6 billion as a result of logging on public lands. Without this amendment, taxpayers will have to foot the bill to build more roads to pristine wilderness areas at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars per mile. With the deficit threatening our Nation's economic strength, this kind of abuse of our natural resources cannot be tolerated. These lands belong to the American people. This amendment represents the last, but chance to save these ecosystems so the public can continue to enjoy them and timber interests cannot exploit them. Preserving this land costs nothing, but destroying it would cost millions.”