SitNews – US House Votes Spending Millions on Logging Roads Isn’t Good Investment.

Thursday the U.S. House agreed that spending taxpayer dollars on building logging roads on the Tongass National Forest is not a good investment. The amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill which calls for ending subsidies for logging roads was sponsored by Republican Representative Steve Chabot of Ohio and Democrat Robert Andrews of New Jersey. It passed 237 to 181.

According to the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, the Chabot/Andrews amendment is supported by nearly 80 Southeast Alaskan businesses and 21 outfitter and guiding businesses.

"Southeast Alaskans rely on and care about the health of the Tongass. The Forest Service has to balance the needs of other users of the forest with those of the timber industry-that means not wasting money on logging roads, but using their limited funds to support growing sectors of the economy," says Beverly Anderson, Business and Community Outreach Coordinator of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.

The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council says that many Tongass-dependent businesses are concerned that while the Forest Service is subsidizing a struggling industry, which contributes less and less to Southeast Alaska’s economy, projects that would support other growing sectors of our region’s economy are short on funds. The spending priorities of the Forest Service focus on road building and large timber sales, while projects such as tourism planning, review of special use permits for hunting and fishing businesses, cabin and trail building and maintenance, and fish and wildlife habitat restoration all lack adequate funding.

Gregory Vickrey of the Tongass
      Conservation Society said,  "This is a clear and major step
      towards conserving this incredible rainforest and preserving
      the benefits it provides to the quality of life for us that live
      here as well as a step towards the multiple use mandate the Forest
      Service is required by law to subscribe to." He said, "Businesses
      that depend on the Tongass related to tourism, commercial and
      sport fishing, and sport hunting won today. Subsistence users
      won today. Taxpayers won today. All of us who enjoy this great
      ecosystem won today."

 

The Southeast Alaska Conservation
      Council says industries such as recreation, tourism, commercial
      and sportfishing, and hunting are significant contributors to
      the regional economy and in fact provide many more jobs than
      does the Tongass timber industry.

      Citing the most current employment statistics from the Alaska
      Department of Labor and Work Force Development , the Southeast
      Alaska Conservation Council says the statistics show that in
      2004, average monthly employment in the scenic and sightseeing
      industry was 586 people, and 1,450 in seafood processing. Commercial
      Fisheries Entry Commission data show that there were 1,964 active
      fishermen in 2004, not including crew members. By contrast, only
      300 people were employed in logging and forestry in Southeast
      Alaska.

 

"People come here to see
      this amazing place we live in," says Jai Crapella of Spirit
      Walker Expeditions in Gustavus. "Spending so much money
      on these logging roads is inappropriate. I think the Forest Service
      is starting to catch on, but they need to put more money into
      supporting tourism businesses."

 

"My family and I are small
      mill owners. While we support the use of forest products we cannot
      approve of the Forest Service’s unbalanced use of their funding,"
      says Gordon Chew. "An effort to serve the small mills and
      fledgling industries is a good place for Forest Service priorities."

      Joel Hanson of The Boat Company said, "The Forest Service
      needs to update its priorities. A lot of people depend on the
      Tongass for their businesses, and the agency needs to support
      them and stop wasting money."

      Gregory Vickrey of the Tongass Conservation Society said, "The
      bill will next go to the Senate, and one can reason that if passed,
      the Forest Service will be better equipped to fund programs related
      to tourism planning, cabin and trail building and maintenance,
      and fish and habitat restoration   all of which are woefully
      under-funded historically, even though the latest statistics
      from the State demonstrate tremendous growth and opportunity
      in these areas."

 

"Local support of this
      bill played a vital role in it getting passed, and those of us
      that live here are the ultimate beneficiaries. As it moves forward
      to the Senate, we look forward to seeing even more bipartisan
      support for this bill that further addresses our quality of life,"
      says Vickrey.