Matt Perkins
02-18-2008, 10:15 AM
Press Release of Senator Cantwell
After Seven Years of Inadequate U.S. Forest Service Budgets, Cantwell
Urges Administration to Consider its Appalling Legacy
Cantwell Grills Undersecretary Rey on Forest Service's Failure to Meet
Clean Water Agreement, Address Road and Trail Maintenance, and Fund
Wildfire Prevention
Thursday, February 14,2008
WASHINGTON, DC – Responding to the need to address the health of
America's and Washington's forests, today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
(D-WA) attended the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s hearing
regarding the fiscal year 2009 proposed budget for the U.S. Forest
Service. Cantwell expressed concerns over drastic funding cuts to
forest health programs in Washington state to Undersecretary Mark Rey
of the United States Forest Service. As proposed, the Forest Service
budget fails to address road and trail maintenance, would fail to meet
water quality standards, slashes funding for rural timber reliant
communities, and cuts wildfire prevention funding.
"This is another disappointing proposed budget from the Forest
Service, and makes me wonder whether the Forest Service has ever
thought about what the agency and country will look like in 5 or 10
years,” said Cantwell. “The Forest Service is speaking out both sides
of its mouth. On the one hand, they identify water quality as a
priority but, in their budget, they zero out funding for the Legacy
Roads and Trails Remediation Program – a critical program that targets
water quality. This is unacceptable and the people of Washington
state and the country deserve better.”
In 2000, the Forest Service signed an agreement with the Washington
Department of Ecology committing to meet water quality standards by
repairing, maintaining or closing roads on National Forests in
Washington. During today’s hearing, Cantwell grilled Undersecretary
Mark Rey on the Forest Service’s non-compliance with this agreement,
and the Administration’s proposed budget that would further jeopardize
the agency’s ability to meet its obligations. In response, Mr. Rey
claimed that the Forest Service was in compliance with its agreement,
and stated that he believed the state was satisfied with the Forest
Services' progress. “I have been in contact with the state and they
confirmed that the Forest Service is not in compliance with its
agreement and their lack of road maintenance is jeopardizing efforts
to recover endangered salmon and improve water quality downstream.”
Cantwell said. “Mark Rey is just flat-out wrong.”
There is an estimated $300 million backlog of road damage on 22,000
miles of Forest Service roads in Washington State. In recent years,
the Forest Service has allotted approximately $3 million per year to
Washington for deteriorating roads, while the backlog of maintenance
grows by more than $8 million per year. In addition, with the storm
events that have occurred in the last two years, there has been an
additional $40 million dollars in damage added to the problem. Last
year, Cantwell worked with Congressman Dicks and the state of
Washington to address this problem and start the $40 million Legacy
Road and Trail Remediation program that would increase funding for
urgently needed road and trail projects in sensitive watersheds.
"We started the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation program to address
water quality problems, in part, because of documented failures by the
Forest Service to live up to its obligation under its 2000 agreement
with the state. Their crumbling road system is having a major impact
on water quality, salmon recovery, and our efforts to restore the
health of Puget Sound.”
In addition, the proposed Forest Service budget underfunds the vital
County Payments program by $1.4 billion over the next four years
compared to last year’s funding levels. The County Payments program
supplies funding to over 700 timber reliant counties in 39 states and
has proven essential to providing essential services in communities
across Washington state.
“County commissioners across the country are being forced to make
tough decisions just to make ends meet for their counties. But yet
again, the Administration proposes abandoning these rural communities”
said Cantwell. “Counties are already beginning to layoff employees and
teachers while making immediate cuts in basic government services.
Not funding the County Payments program is simply unacceptable.”
The Forest Service also proposes increasing funding for wildfire
suppression by $150 million, but cuts fire preparedness, cooperative
fire assistance, and state and private forestry programs by nearly
$270 million. “Investing in fire suppression, while cutting
prevention, is a foolhardy approach that will only lead to even higher
wildfire costs and budget pressures” continued Cantwell.
In addition, the proposed budget reduces core research programs
affecting forest and rangeland ecosystems; guts urban and cooperative
protection of sensitive lands, and reduces care for trails and roads
throughout the country.
After Seven Years of Inadequate U.S. Forest Service Budgets, Cantwell
Urges Administration to Consider its Appalling Legacy
Cantwell Grills Undersecretary Rey on Forest Service's Failure to Meet
Clean Water Agreement, Address Road and Trail Maintenance, and Fund
Wildfire Prevention
Thursday, February 14,2008
WASHINGTON, DC – Responding to the need to address the health of
America's and Washington's forests, today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
(D-WA) attended the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s hearing
regarding the fiscal year 2009 proposed budget for the U.S. Forest
Service. Cantwell expressed concerns over drastic funding cuts to
forest health programs in Washington state to Undersecretary Mark Rey
of the United States Forest Service. As proposed, the Forest Service
budget fails to address road and trail maintenance, would fail to meet
water quality standards, slashes funding for rural timber reliant
communities, and cuts wildfire prevention funding.
"This is another disappointing proposed budget from the Forest
Service, and makes me wonder whether the Forest Service has ever
thought about what the agency and country will look like in 5 or 10
years,” said Cantwell. “The Forest Service is speaking out both sides
of its mouth. On the one hand, they identify water quality as a
priority but, in their budget, they zero out funding for the Legacy
Roads and Trails Remediation Program – a critical program that targets
water quality. This is unacceptable and the people of Washington
state and the country deserve better.”
In 2000, the Forest Service signed an agreement with the Washington
Department of Ecology committing to meet water quality standards by
repairing, maintaining or closing roads on National Forests in
Washington. During today’s hearing, Cantwell grilled Undersecretary
Mark Rey on the Forest Service’s non-compliance with this agreement,
and the Administration’s proposed budget that would further jeopardize
the agency’s ability to meet its obligations. In response, Mr. Rey
claimed that the Forest Service was in compliance with its agreement,
and stated that he believed the state was satisfied with the Forest
Services' progress. “I have been in contact with the state and they
confirmed that the Forest Service is not in compliance with its
agreement and their lack of road maintenance is jeopardizing efforts
to recover endangered salmon and improve water quality downstream.”
Cantwell said. “Mark Rey is just flat-out wrong.”
There is an estimated $300 million backlog of road damage on 22,000
miles of Forest Service roads in Washington State. In recent years,
the Forest Service has allotted approximately $3 million per year to
Washington for deteriorating roads, while the backlog of maintenance
grows by more than $8 million per year. In addition, with the storm
events that have occurred in the last two years, there has been an
additional $40 million dollars in damage added to the problem. Last
year, Cantwell worked with Congressman Dicks and the state of
Washington to address this problem and start the $40 million Legacy
Road and Trail Remediation program that would increase funding for
urgently needed road and trail projects in sensitive watersheds.
"We started the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation program to address
water quality problems, in part, because of documented failures by the
Forest Service to live up to its obligation under its 2000 agreement
with the state. Their crumbling road system is having a major impact
on water quality, salmon recovery, and our efforts to restore the
health of Puget Sound.”
In addition, the proposed Forest Service budget underfunds the vital
County Payments program by $1.4 billion over the next four years
compared to last year’s funding levels. The County Payments program
supplies funding to over 700 timber reliant counties in 39 states and
has proven essential to providing essential services in communities
across Washington state.
“County commissioners across the country are being forced to make
tough decisions just to make ends meet for their counties. But yet
again, the Administration proposes abandoning these rural communities”
said Cantwell. “Counties are already beginning to layoff employees and
teachers while making immediate cuts in basic government services.
Not funding the County Payments program is simply unacceptable.”
The Forest Service also proposes increasing funding for wildfire
suppression by $150 million, but cuts fire preparedness, cooperative
fire assistance, and state and private forestry programs by nearly
$270 million. “Investing in fire suppression, while cutting
prevention, is a foolhardy approach that will only lead to even higher
wildfire costs and budget pressures” continued Cantwell.
In addition, the proposed budget reduces core research programs
affecting forest and rangeland ecosystems; guts urban and cooperative
protection of sensitive lands, and reduces care for trails and roads
throughout the country.