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Protecting America's National Forests is a reference guide to the Roadless Rule, which protects our last wild forests from logging, drilling, and mining.

POLICY AND POLITICS " Rulemaking " Litigation " Public Support " On Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill Watch

Capitol Hill Watch monitors national forests issues in the Bush Administration and Congress. Check back regularly to see what's new.

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Congress

• Letters from Congress

Administration

• Logging America's Last Wild Forests
• Weakening Forest Plans
• Logging Under the Guise of Fire Prevention

Additional Resources

Congress

On October 1, 2009, members of Congress once again announced their support for the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, "one of the most important and popular land preservation initiatives of the last 30 years" (New York Times, 7/18/04) by introducing legislation that would codify the rule.

Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), along with 22 of their Senate colleagues joined together to protect America’s last wild places and introduced S. 1738, the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2009.

Led by Reps Jay Inslee (D-WA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Timothy Johnson (R-IL), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), more than 150 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives introduced a companion bill, H.R. 3692, the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2009.

This legislation would provide permanent protection for 58.5 million acres of pristine forest land in 39 states - including 9.3 million acres of North America's only coastal temperate rainforest - Alaska's Tongass National Forest.

Find out more:

• Read the Heritage Forests Campaign's press release on the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2009.
• Read the "Dear Colleague" letter to members of Congress:
  • House
  • Senate
• Read the text of the House Bill H.R. 2516; Senate Bill S. 1478
• • About the Roadless Area Conservation Rule

Letters from Congress

Below are letters and statements from members of Congress in support of the roadless rule (ALL PDF):

• Senate letter in support of Roadless Area Conservation Rule
  March 18, 2009
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• House letter in support of Roadless Area Conservation Rule
  March 18, 2009
  
  • List of House Signers
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• House letter to President-Elect Obama asking him to uphold, enforce and defend the 2001 roadless rule
  January 12, 2009
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• House Democrats letter to Undersecretary Ray and Chief Kimbell over the Bush administration's efforts to undermine the Roadless Rule
  April 4, 2008
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• House of Representatives letter to Bush Administration officials expressing concern over Colorado roadless rulemaking
  September 30, 2008
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• House Dear Colleague letter urging cosponsorship of roadless legislation to codify the rule into law
  July 13, 2007
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• Senate Dear Colleague letter urging cosponsorship of roadless legislation to codify the rule into law.
  April 25, 2007
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• House Dear Colleague letter urging cosponsorship of roadless legislation to codify the rule into law
  January 25, 2007
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• House Democrats letter to President Bush expressing concern over Roadless Rule announcement
  July 25, 2004
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• Senate Democrats letter to President Bush expressing concern over Roadless Rule revocation
  July 23, 2004
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• Dear Colleague letter announcing business leaders support the rule. Circulated by Democratic house members of the Oregon delegation
  May 17, 2004
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• Testimony of U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall Before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies supporting roadless area protections
  April 21, 2004
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• Senate Democrats letter to President Bush urging the provision of roadless area protection for the Tongass National Forest
  February 6, 2004
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• House Democrats letter to President Bush expressing dismay at the Bush Administration after it quietly released its decision to exempt Alaska's Tongass National Forest from the roadless rule, despite widespread public disapproval
  February 6, 2004
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• Senate Democrats letter to President Bush outlining support for upholding the Roadless Area Conservation Rule of 2001 and requesting any proposals for a new rule provide permanent and meaningful protection for inventoried roadless areas
  January 12, 2004
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• House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released this statement on the third anniversary of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
  January 12, 2004
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• Senator Cantwell's letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft expressing her disappointment with the Department of Justice's decision not to support the Roadless Rule in court
  November 10, 2003
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• House Democrats letter to President Bush expressing concern over proposed revisions to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
  July 31, 2003
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• Senator Warner's statement on the introduction of Roadless Area Conservation legislation in the Senate
  June 5, 2003
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• Senator Cantwell's statement on the introduction of Roadless Area Conservation legislation in the Senate
  June 5, 2003
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• Congressman Boehlert's statement on his re-introduction of the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act in the U.S. House
  June 5, 2003
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• Congressman Inslee's statement on the re-introduction of the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act in the U.S. House
  June 9, 2003
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• House members urge colleagues to support the National Forest Conservation Act of 2003
  February 12, 2003
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• Senate Democrats letter to President Bush urging upholding and defending the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
  May 9, 2002
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• Congress writes to Dale Bosworth, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Expressing Concern About Proposed Directives That Would Weaken the Roadless Rule
  Feburary 21, 2002
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• Senators express concern over changes to the roadless rule proposed by the U.S. Forest Service. Republicans urge President Bush to uphold Roadless Area Conservation Rule
  May 1, 2001
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• Senate Urges President Bush to Implement the Roadless Area Conservation Rule
  May 4, 2001
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• House Democrats Urge President Bush to Uphold the Roadless Rule
  May 1, 2001
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• Senate Urges President Bush to Uphold the Roadless Rule
  May 1, 2001
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• Congress Urges President Bush to Implement the Roadless Rule and Vigirously Defend it in Court
  March 28, 2001
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• Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Ask Attorney General Ashcroft to Fully Support, Defend and Enforce the Roadless Rule
  March 15, 2001

The Administration

Logging America's Last Wild Forests

On May 5, 2005, the administration announced its final policy to repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The new policy entirely eliminates the national protections provided by the 2001 rule and places millions of acres of our last wild forests at immediate risk to logging, mining and other commodity development.

Find out more:

• The administration's new rule was published in the Federal Register on May 13, 2005 and is now posted on the Forest Service website
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• Read the Forest Service's press release from May 5, 2005
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• Read the analysis of the proposal.
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• Statement of Robert Vandermark, Director, Heritage Forests Campaign

Weakening Forest Plans

In November and December 2002, the Bush Administration's Forest Service issued a number of directives and changes to regulations that threaten national forest protections. The most prominent attack was on the National Forest Management Act regulations that ensure sound scientific and environmental management of our national forest lands. The new regulations weaken protections for wildlife, watersheds and roadless areas.

Find out more:

• Learn more about rollbacks to the National Forest Management Act at SaveNationalForests.org
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• See the Federal register notice of changes to the National Forest Management Act

Logging Under the Guise of Fire Prevention

The Healthy Forests Restoration Act

Despite efforts to craft a more balanced wildfire policy, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed the President's so-called "Healthy Forest Initiative," in the form of a bill sponsored by Rep. Scott McInnis (R-CO). This bill allows timber companies to log in the backcountry of our national forestsfar away from homes and communitiesunder the guise of fire prevention. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 was signed into law the President on December 3, 2003.

Find out more:

• Visit HFC's "Healthy Forests" Initiative page for details.
• Read HFC's fact sheet on the "Healthy Forests" Initiative
• Read the response to Representative McInnis' bill from Representative George Miller (D-CA)

Additional Resources

Below are a number of internet-based resources that will keep you up to date on the latest happenings on Capitol Hill:

Legislation

• Research Federal Legislation http://thomas.loc.gov

Federal Agencies

• Forest Service www.fs.fed.us
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• The Forest Service roadless page http://roadless.fs.fed.us/
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• US Department of Agriculture www.usda.gov
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• US Department of Interior www.doi.gov

The White House

• The White House www.whitehouse.gov
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• Healthy Forests Initiative www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthyforests
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• Council on Environmental Quality www.whitehouse.gov/ceq

Regulations and Federal Register Notices

• Research and comment on Federal Regulations www.regulations.gov
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• Federal Register www.archives.gov/federal_register/
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• About The Federal Register