Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 2406, the SHARE Act, and urge my colleagues to support its adoption. This amendment is very straightforward. It simply requires the Forest Service to publish a notice in the Federal Register along with a justification explaining the decision for the closure of any public road on Forest Service lands. Some of you may ask why this amendment is necessary, and that is understandable because, fortunately, many Americans have never had to deal with this issue. However, in my district in the Pacific Northwest and in many Federal forests across the country, many people have faced the reality that a public road that they have used for decades is suddenly closed. When I say ``closed,'' if I could refer your attention to this photograph, there is a picture indicating that a road is no longer even available for use. It is not just a chain going across the road. However, the reality is far worse. When the Forest Service closes many of these public roads, they do so by piling gravel, downing trees, or both, in order to block access. At other times, they create what are called tank traps, essentially large ditches dug into the ground that makes passage impossible. Furthermore, these practices create impediments that not only block human access but can also restrict the movement of wildlife in our national forests. This has become a serious issue in central Washington.…”