Date: Fri, Oct 17, 2003
American Land Rights Association - Land Rights Network
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973
Email: alra@landrights.org - http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington DC 20003
Phone: 202-210-2357 - Fax: 202-543-7126 - Email: landrightsnet@aol.com

Healthy Forests - Urgent Action Required

Call both your Senators now! The Healthy Forests Restoration Act will come to a vote this coming week. Call each day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sneak Attack on Roadless Rule Planned by Senators Bingaman and Leahy. Sometime early next week...the week of October 20th...the U.S. Senate will vote on the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HR 1904). In recent days, there has been some behind the scenes activity that could kill this important legislation.
For weeks, key members of the Senate and their staff members have been working out compromise language with the Bush Administration. Just last week, a small group of Senators including Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA) sent out a letter with several other Senate signatures basically telling the Administration and the House leadership that the language adopted in the Senate negotiations was the ONLY language that would pass the Senate on a floor vote.
It was more or less a "take it or leave it" type message to the House -- who passed the bill with strong bi-partisan support back in May.
In just the past few days, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have indicated they will offer an amendment to codify the Clinton Roadless language into the Healthy Forests legislation. This in effect would kill the bill because there is no way the House would accept such language (thankfully!).
These Senators who said the House must "take it or leave it" as it comes from the Senate, are now not willing to stand up and defend their own demand and vote to defeat the Roadless Amendment out of fear of environmental political pressure.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO? Call your US Senators today. Ask them to:
-----1. Support the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HR 1904) that was agreed upon by Senators Wyden, Feinstein, Lincoln, Cochran, Craig, Crapo and Domenici.
-----2. Tell them to not break the pledge and promise of the Senate negotiators - Urge Them Not To Support The Roadless Amendment.
-----3. Congress has worked hard on this important legislation that would help better protect our federal and private forestlands from the effects of catastrophic fires that destroy water, wildlife habitat, and fill our air with smoke. Don't let this bill be killed by an inside effort of a few Senators who don't want it to pass...

For the entire alert, go here.