Legislation Introduced by Congresswoman DeLauro

The Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act (ARCA) will permanently protect America’s two largest national forests – the Tongass and Chugach National Forests – from taxpayer-subsidized logging and development. The Tongass’s and Chugach’s ancient temperate rainforest are home to an abundant variety of wildlife, including bears, salmon and bald eagles that have disappeared from many other parts of the country. The Chugach National Forest is the nation’s wildest forest, with 98 percent of its 5.5 million acres road-free. The Tongass National Forest, at 17 million acres, is renown for its abundant yearly runs of wild salmon, which provide food for other resident wildlife and unexcelled commercial, sport, and subsistence fishing and hunting opportunities.

Celebrated the world over as the last great temperate rainforests, these national treasures are in desperate need for protection after decades of wasteful taxpayer-subsidized logging, as well as current threats posed by the timber industry. My legislation offers a balanced approach that will permanently protect nearly 15 million acres and 81 river systems of these forests, while still permitting small-scale timber operators to continue to utilize areas already containing logging roads and infrastructure.