Amendment to Block Bush Administration

Rep. Udall to Offer Amendment Protecting Forests and Wildlife

(06/15/2004) - WASHINGTON – This week, Representatives Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) and Norman Dicks (D-Washington) will offer an amendment designed to block implementation of President Bush’s new forest management regulations, which are tilted heavily in favor of the timber industry. The Forest Wildlife Conservation amendment will be offered as part of the debate on the Interior Department 2005 appropriations bill.

"The President’s new forest regulations represent a radical rewrite of forest protection laws that have been in place for the last 27 years. The Udall amendment aims to put a stop to a backward Bush administration proposal that undermines science, ignores local community input, and moves the timber industry to the head of the line when making decisions about our National Forests," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

The rules the Bush administration proposes to junk were approved by the Reagan administration and recently revised by an independent Committee of Scientists. They provide a strong benchmark for measuring whether the Forest Service is adequately protecting our nation’s forests. One of the most important regulations – the "population viability" rule – requires the Forest Service to maintain the viability of native species of wildlife in each national forest. That provides a clear yardstick for assessing the impact of logging on wildlife conservation and on forest ecosystem health. But the Bush rules make maintaining wildlife viability voluntary rather than required.

The new Bush administration rules mirror the timber industry’s agenda as stated in testimony and comments by the American Forest and Paper Association. In particular, the draft regulations drop key protections for old growth forests, eliminate "population viability" as well as other protections for wildlife, and severely restrict scientific and public input into forest management decisions.

"The overlap between the Bush administration regulations and the timber industry’s wish list is just too striking to ignore," said Schlickeisen. "Once again, the President has sided with big corporations over the needs and desires of ordinary Americans; it is our children and grandchildren who would pay the price for his short-sighted policy."

For more information, see National Forests.

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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading non-profit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation’s most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 480,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.

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Contact(s):

Brad DeVries, (202) 772-0237
William Lutz, (202) 772-0369