REDWOOD NEEDLES

Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter,
The REDWOOD NEEDLES

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Help stop the "Clearcuts for Kids" bill

Almost a century ago, Congress passed a law requiring the U.S. Forest Service to turn over 25 percent of its logging revenues to rural counties to fund schools and roads. That outdated law creates a perverse incentive for affected communities to support high levels of logging. Although education funding is the excuse for supporting this program, many counties spend 75% of their payment on roads, not schools.

Unfortunately, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has teamed up with Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) to introduce a bill known as S. 1608, the so-called "Secure Rural Counties and Community Self-Determination Act," that would force an increase in logging incentives. This bill is not based on education needs but on past logging levels and actually takes funds away from many states in the country. The bill also forces counties to give as much as 20% of their "education funds" to logging projects.

The bill ignores the contributions of National Forests to recreation, wildlife, fishing and water quality. Nationally, recreation generates nearly $40 to the economy for every dollar generated by logging, and creates more than 30 times as many jobs. And increased logging destroys recreation opportunities. In addition, rural communities rely on National Forests for clean drinking water and logging can clog streams with silt and run-off. Communities should not have to sacrifice clean drinking water, jobs and wildlife habitat to fund their children’s education.

** TAKE ACTION ** CALL Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer through the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to vote against S.1608. Tell them that schoolchildren should not be held hostage to an unsustainable logging program! Our children need good schools and a healthy environment. This bill could be voted on in the next few weeks.

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