Rick Hill: “the Forest Service roads moratorium now in effect, defies the good common sense required to maintain our Nation's force.…”

“the Forest Service roads moratorium now in effect, defies the good common sense required to maintain our Nation's force. In essence, the administration is saying that we are going to take a time-out in managing our forests. In the meantime, of course, the problems will not wait. They only become more serious. This moratorium is also an attack on access to our public forests. It is nothing more than a sweeping mandate from Washington. This mandate is not designed to study our forests roads but, rather, to keep the American citizen out of their forests. A representative from the most respected sportsmen's group in Washington, the Safari Club, called this decision bad for sportsmen and other recreational users, so bad that it must have the dedicated professionals in the Forest Service shaking their heads. The Forest Service reports that 93 percent of forest road use is for recreational purposes, and now they are trying to lock up the very roads where we recreate. It makes no sense. I cannot understand how an agency that is directed to manage our forests is walking away and washing its hands of such a serious issue. This is a bad policy, Madam Speaker. It is bad for America. It is bad for the economy. It is bad for the forests and it is bad for the citizens. The question is, who is it good for?”