Haley Stevens: “this provision which Senator Boxer seeks to strike--which I call the expedited judicial review provision--has been…”

“this provision which Senator Boxer seeks to strike--which I call the expedited judicial review provision--has been misconstrued by the Senator from California. Let me give you first a little history of the Tongass Forest. In 1917 this forest was established, 17 million acres. It is the largest national forest in the United States. It encompasses over 80 percent of all of southeastern Alaska, which is roughly the size of New England. In 1947, the Tongass Act set aside an allowable sale quantity level of 1.38 billion board feet per year. Let me repeat that--1.38 billion board feet per year. In 1959, as part of the Statehood Act, there was an allowable sale quantity level established at 1.3 billion board feet per year. Congress continued to review the Tongass. In 1971, the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act set what we called the ASQ--the allowable sale quantity--level at 950 million board feet. In 1980, that was reduced to 250 million board feet. Under the law, we call it ANICA--the Alaska National Interest Conservation Act--from 1980 to 1987, the average volume of timber sold and harvested per year in the Tongass was 280 million board feet per year. In 1990, the Tongass Timber Reform Act set the ASQ at 440 million board feet. That act also directed the Forest Service to provide a supply of timber to meet the market demand. But in 1997, Congress further reduced the level to 260 million board feet. That was through the Tongass land management plan.”