Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, each year the timber industry is subsidized by millions of taxpayer dollars for logging in the Tongass National Forest, approximately $750 million over the last two decades, so that is three-quarters of a billion dollars. Each year more taxpayer subsidized logging roads are built to extract timber and each year the road maintenance backlog gets more expensive. It is about $900 million right now. That is on the existing roads which are already there. Established in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Tongass is our Nation's largest forest, about the size of West Virginia. Located along Alaska's southeastern coast, it is often referred to as America's rainforest. It is home to abundant wildlife, bald eagles, grizzly bears, wolves and salmon, as well as old growth trees such as the giant Sitka spruce, western hemlock and yellow cedar. There are 3,579 miles of official Tongass forest road. That is enough road to drive across the country and part of the way back. Even the Forest Service acknowledges that existing roads are sufficient to satisfy local demand for roaded recreation, subsistence, and community connectivity needs. I know there is some concern about the importance of logging roads to fight fires, but I want to emphasize that this is a rainforest.”