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Tenth District Congressman Donald Payne has denounced the Bush Administration’s changes to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule as environmentally destructive and fiscally irresponsible.
Announced today, the Administration’s new Rule replaces the 2001 Roadless Rule in its entirety and substitutes it with a state petition process that eliminates federal protections from logging and mining in millions of acres of national forests.
Payne has been a longtime advocate and strong supporter of national forests, and joined with many of his concerned colleagues last year to send a letter to President Bush opposing his proposed weakening of these environmental protections.
“Roadless areas of national forests and grasslands represent some of the nation's most highly valued areas of open space,” says Payne. “By conserving these areas we not only protect wildlife and clean drinking water supplies, we also can enjoy them for outdoor recreation such as hiking, hunting, fishing and camping.”
Congressman Payne has also been an outspoken opponent of using taxpayer money to subsidize logging roads in National Forests. In his words, “$614 million is needed every year to maintain the existing roads and bridges in our National Forests, and right now there is a $10 billion backlog of maintenance projects on those roads.” He added, “Why are our tax dollars going to build new ones?”
Congressman Payne has vowed to continue to fight to prevent the Bush Administration’s proposal to open nearly 60 million more acres to road building, while sending the bill to the American taxpayer. He was a cosponsor of the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act in the 108th Congress and will be an original cosponsor when it is reintroduced in the coming weeks.
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