WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration wants Congress to approve a plan
for "charter forests," a new category of federal forest land
that would be managed locally.
Some Democrats and conservationists worry it's an
attempt to circumvent environmental protections. They already are upset
that the Bush administration is
revising Clinton-era forest policies, including the "roadless
rule" protecting more than 58 million acres from most logging and
road construction.
The new plan, included in the president's budget
proposal, is similar to charter schools, which typically operate outside
of regular education bureaucracies. Though the proposal is vague, the
budget said certain national forests or portions of them could become
separate entities that would be overseen by local trusts rather than the
Forest Service.
Mark Rey, the agriculture undersecretary who oversees
the Forest Service, said he wants to use one or two national forests as
case studies to see if the government can remove "procedural
bottlenecks" that occur in day-to-day management and emphasize local
involvement in decision-making.
Rey said the
goal is not to increase any particular activity, such as logging or
recreation, but to reduce management costs on tasks such as drafting the
complex environmental documents required under federal regulations.
"Our goal is to try to reorder that so that we are
getting better on-the-ground accomplishments," he said. "In some
cases, that will mean selling less timber. In other cases, that may mean
selling more timber, but that is not the fundamental objective."
Conservationists are eager to hear the particulars of
the most recent proposal from Rey, who, they point out, is a former timber
industry lobbyist and worked for two conservative Western Republicans -
Sens. Larry Craig of Idaho and Frank Murkowski of Alaska.
"Some interest is going to dominate that local
management and, given Undersecretary Rey's rich history, I have a sneaking
suspicion what interest that might be," said Marty Hayden,
legislative director for Earthjustice. "The big question is: Will
charter forests become a magnet for clear-cuts?"
Chris Wood, watershed programs director for Trout
Unlimited, said he's concerned the administration is trying to shift
management problems rather than fix them. He wants to be sure that the
balance between local needs and national interests is maintained.
"At best, you could say this is a punt," Wood
said. "At worst, you could say it is an underhanded attempt to
devolve public lands to local controls."
Congress will have to approve the charter forest
concept. Senate Energy and Natural Resources forests subcommittee Chairman
Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the plan will get close scrutiny.
"I am not going to support anything that is a glide
past environmental laws and public involvement," he said.