1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Vote no on S. 4103, the so-called "Save Our Sequoias Act." This bill would gut the National Environmental Policy Act by creating categorical exclusions for logging projects up to 3,000 acres in and around giant sequoia groves, with no environmental review or public comment. It places no limits on the size, age, or species of trees that could be logged, potentially including mature giant sequoias themselves. New peer-reviewed research published after this bill's introduction directly contradicts its claims. Scientists found that giant sequoias are regenerating most vigorously in high-intensity fire patches, not dying off as the bill suggests. Less than 15% of large sequoias have been killed by fire over the entire past century, far below natural levels before fire suppression. Meanwhile, logging machinery destroys 83% of existing giant sequoia regeneration. Fire, not tree removal, is what restores these forests. This bill would allow logging in Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Roadless Areas, and even Wilderness areas. These are sacred landscapes that deserve protection based on science, not industry-driven fear mongering. Vote no on S. 4103.