Joe Crowley: “earlier this week the Bush administration revised the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and exempted millions of acres of…”

“earlier this week the Bush administration revised the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and exempted millions of acres of forests throughout our country. Included in these revisions are areas I recently had the pleasure of visiting, including the Tongass and the Chugach National Forests in Alaska, which are now set to be turned into the horror of the ``10-Year Tongass Timber Project'' which I believe is truly a disaster. As a firsthand witness, I have experienced the beauty and the natural wonders of these two forests in Alaska. The Tongass and Chugach Forests boast the world's most intact rain forests with centuries-old trees providing critical habitat for wolves, grizzly bears, wild salmon, bald eagles, and other wildlife that have disappeared from many other parts of our country. In 2001, the roadless rule was drafted and implemented to balance the interests of environmental and local labor groups so that a small number of timber projects already in progress at that time could be completed. Furthermore, at the time the maintenance and reconstruction of existing roads was strictly limited to cases of public safety and habitat improvement for wildlife, which meant common sense environmental regulations were put in place to ensure the health and safety of the residences of these areas where they were tended to as well as the economic well-being of those individuals. Those common sense regulations did not shut down Alaska.…”