As your constituent, I urge you to oppose H.R. 471, the Fix Our Forests Act, a bill introduced by Reps. Bruce Westerman and Scott Peters that would undermine protections for our forests and endangered species. At a time when our forests are facing threats from climate change, including worsening wildfires, introducing a bill that could lead to increased logging will NOT protect communities from wildfire but will weakens environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.
The bill’s sweeping provisions are similar in policies and goals to the Trump Executive Order on Timber which removes standards, science, and accountability in service of the short-term interests of extractive industries, which will likely exacerbate wildfires, putting more homes and communities at risk. The bill contains essentially no standards or provisions to maintain, or even consider, the long-term health and resilience for millions of acres of public lands. It would leave these areas open to unlimited logging and divert resources away from bipartisan solutions that are proven to protect communities, and away from implementing smart wildfire strategies now underway, or any activities necessary to increase community resilience. This bill would also further jeopardize endangered species that are already struggling for survival.
In addition to causing significant environmental harm, this bill would stifle the voice of the public, limiting our ability to stand up for our rights in court while making it easier for extractive industries to proceed with harmful activities—even when a court has found a plan legally inadequate under our environmental protection laws.
This is yet another example of industry and its congressional allies using popular ideas like 'forest management' as a Trojan horse for weakening environmental laws and forest protections that ultimately benefit their profits, not the public.
I urge you to oppose this bill, especially sections 106, 121 and 122 . Protect our forests!
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