Bush Strips Forests of Clinton Era Protections

He'd threatened to do it, and now it's official. Thursday, the Bush administration removed bans on road construction and other forest protections for some 60 million acres of national forest, and moved them into states hands asking states to re-submit justification. Roads in forests and other remote wilderness opens the door for things logging, recreation and other commercial uses. In the case of Oregon, it means re-filing and re-justifying the case that protected our roadless wilderness in the first place. States have 18 months to petition the federal government for protection. The New York Times spells it out in this article by Felicity Barringer.

On it's face, it may not seem like that big a deal. Just gather up the papers and resubmit them. We have plenty of time to petition. There is the matter of money to do this, considering Oregon's budget is completely shot (see Oregon Legislative Giveaway), but Michael Milstein writing for the Oregonian gets right to the heart of the matter:

The Bush move also clears a path for logging on roadless lands scorched by the 2002 Biscuit fire in Southwest Oregon, widely opposed by environmental groups and the governor.

U.S. Forest Service officials said they would wait 21 days after the Bush decision is final before beginning the logging. Environmentalists continue to challenge the cutting.

So in as little as three weeks, the roads can start going in. After they're in, it will be damn hard to get them out. On top of that, there's skepticism about whether the administration will even be playing fairly:

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski sharply criticized the Bush action, saying it forces the state to repeat work already completed by federal agencies in an effort to protect land that already had warranted and won protection. Oregon, Kulongoski said, also has no assurance the administration would do what it asked.

...

But Bush officials said they're committed to cooperation.

"If we weren't serious about working with the states, we wouldn't be taking this approach in the first place," said Mark Rey, undersecretary of agriculture.

Kulongoski said he would undertake a petition because he is committed to restoring the earlier protections to Oregon's nearly 2 million acres of roadless forest lands. He directed the Oregon Board of Forestry, which oversees state forests such as the Tillamook, to convene a citizen forum and develop recommendations on how to proceed.

"It's sort of like gambling -- I have to put the ante in to play," the governor said. "I have to put the money in if I want them to adopt the process."

I for one am completely fed up with this administration's Orwellian doublespeak. It's been suggested that this whole thing is blue-state payback as California, Oregon, and Washington are hit particularly hard, but I really don't buy the theory that Bush is rewarding red supporters and punishing the blue. If it were so, I'd consider turning red, except Bush doesn't seem to be doing anything for his red-state supporters either (except for corporations and the ultra rich). Unfortunately, they all somehow think that he actually is.

The Oregon Natural Resources Council has been following this for a while, and for Washington state's take, see Warren Cornwall's article in the Seattle Times. There was also this fascinating article from Environmental Media Services. It seems that back in December, the EPA was stifling objections to lifting the roadless protections:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has censored the warnings of its professional staff about a Bush Administration plan to build more roads across national forests, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). EPA deleted comments about a host of environmental problems, ranging from impaired public drinking water to spreading invasive plants, from comments it submitted to the U.S. Forest Service on November 26th.

"Things have gotten pretty extreme when the Environmental Protection Agency is no longer permitted to voice environmental concerns," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. 'Never was heard a discouraging word' is no longer just a lyric from Home on the Range; it is the new federal environmental mantra."

Contact your representatives. Get involved. Speak up.

Portland Teacher's Credit Union Named Rogue of the Week

Willamette Week named Portland Teacher's Credit Union their Rogue of the Week. I like being a credit union member. Members all own a stake in the credit union, and that's reflected in better dividends and member input to the running of the credit union. Brandon Hartley's article pointed to some surprising behavior from the board of the PTCU. It started with Scarlett and Shamus Lynsky who filled out comment cards citing their concerns about credit rates and the $1.6 million salary of CEO Cliff Dias. They checked a box requesting a response and submitted their card. The responses that followed were the antithesis of the behavior of an open, democratic organization. From the article:

When no response followed a month later, Shamus fired off an email asking when they'd get answers. The emailed answer from Tom Glatt, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the 161,000-member credit union: "I am authorized to inform you that the Board has decided not to respond to your comments, as is their privilege.... I would like for you to call me directly so I can personally facilitate the closing of your accounts, and your membership." Glatt declined to discuss the matter with WW.

The Lynskys followed up with a request for a peek at the credit union's bylaws. This time, they got a letter from Daniel F. McNeil, a lawyer representing the credit union. "Your free speech rights do not include the right to make false or misleading statements about PTCU," it warns. "Please understand that PTCU...will not hesitate to pursue defamation or other business interference claims against you."

"The letter is self-explanatory," McNeil told WW. "I'm not at liberty to discuss it further."

The gall and arrogance of the PTCU board is staggering. The attitude of a regional credit union may seem insignificant, but it's spreading. I think we Americans have become too accepting of the current administration's "my way or the highway" attitude that seems to be adopted by more and more leaders, stifling discourse and infecting our society. Either leaders are forgetting that they get their power from us - or perhaps they are no longer getting their power from us. Let's hope the members get back control of their credit union. We'll be watching this one.

Hello Portland!

I just got back from a few days in Houston and I must say after being in a heavily red state, being back in a blue one, even a slightly blue one, is quite refreshing. It's great to be back in Little Beiruit. While I was out, I didn't have access to the internet, so I was stuck with cable television and Republican party propaganda radio. I flipped on the TV this morning and there was Katie Couric interviewing the attorney for the "runaway bride". Really, is this still news? How did it rate more than a "wierd story" mention like Robber Caught in Air Vent or Boy Eats Own Head? At least I know it was light news - Katie wasn't wearing her "intellectual glasses".

Now, let's see what else has been going on while I've been out ...