Support H.R. 1904, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003

May 19, 2003

Member of the House of Representatives:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (U.S. Chamber), the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses of every size, sector, and region, urges you to support H.R. 1904, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003.

In 2002, the United States experienced some of the most extreme forest fires in recorded history. Thousands of homes and businesses were evacuated, and hundreds were destroyed. The federal government spent some $1.6 billion to contain these devastating blazes and many local and regional economies experienced tremendous financial losses.

Yet even today, on the heels of last year's devastating fire season, nearly 200 million acres of federal lands are at high risk to catastrophic wildfire, with another 72 million acres at extremely perilous risk. However, federal land managers treat only approximately 2.5 million acres of land vulnerable to wildfire annually, because of the overly burdensome and unnecessary regulatory scheme they must navigate to do so. It may take several years for any one given forest health project to receive ultimate approval. Meanwhile that area teeters on the verge of destruction, vulnerable to a single spark.

Congressmen Scott McInnis and Greg Walden's Healthy Forest Restoration Act (H.R. 1904) will streamline the procedural and bureaucratic morass a forest management project is subject to, without eliminating rigorous environmental analysis or administrative and legal challenges. This legislation merely condenses the timeframe in which the review and challenges take place, so as to not extend the risk of wildfire any longer than necessary. The bill will also give priority to projects near communities and codify the public participation process, both as advocated by the Western Governor's Association.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges you to vote for H.R. 1904. We will consider including votes on, or in relation to, H.R. 1904 in our annual How They Voted scorecard.

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten
Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
U.S. Chamber of Commerce