[The KG9 Kid]

Salley forth the expert chainsaw-men.

[Mo1]

Fire up the Chain saws let's get rid of some beetle trees!

Works for me

BTW .. who voted against this bill?

[PhiKapMom]

Wonder who the 14 were that voted against it? Whoever voted against it needs to get out on the fire lines in SoCal to see first hand what their environmental policies have done to a beautiful state and the San Bernardino Mountain resorts.

[Pubbie]

[Judith Anne]

Thanks for posting. This is good news.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Logging is Hazardous to the Forests! Stop the Logging! Save the Spotted Owl!

[Irish Eyes]

Great news, but way too late. For the past two years we have narrowly missed loosing a home in Arizona due to forest fires, and now California has suffered major damage.

[Redcloak]

Here's the AP story...

---

Senate Approves Forest Management Plan

By H. JOSEF HEBERT
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP)--Against the backdrop of raging wildfires in the West, the Senate approved a forest management plan late Thursday that would allow expanded tree thinning on 20 million acres of federal land to reduce the risk of fires.

Meanwhile, the House approved a record $2.9 billion for firefighting and fire protection in federal forests as part of a $20.2 billion spending bill for the Interior Department.

The congressional debate over the forest bill and the firefighting money took on urgency because of the devastating wildfires that this week have destroyed more than 2,600 homes and blackened 730,000 acres across southern California.

``There is a tremendous lesson in these fires. That the land has to be managed,'' said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a leading co-sponsor of the compromise forest bill. The Senate approved it by a vote of 80-14.

The compromise bill must now be merged with legislation passed by the House in May, which would allow more aggressive and more wide spread tree cutting than approved by the Senate.

The legislation, a modified version of President Bush's ``healthy forest'' initiative, calls for establishing expedited procedures for tree thinning on 20 million acres of federal forests that are especially susceptible to fire threat and in many cases are close to populated areas.

The bill would authorize, subject to future appropriations, $760 million a year for forest management, more than double current spending. About half the money would be earmarked for forests situated in areas where wild lands begin to merge with populated areas.

Environmentalists have criticized the legislation because it would allow forest-thinning without environmental reviews and with limited--and in some cases no--judicial review. They accused lawmakers of using the Western wildfires to open federal forests to new logging, including the cutting of mature trees.

Feinstein and other supporters of the bill rejected the criticism and said the compromise was designed to limit logging to only the most at-risk forest lands out of the 190 million acres of federal forests. They said it specifically includes protection for large old-growth forests.

``For those who have been so worried that we're going to log the forests to death. They have watched them burn to death,'' said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. ``It's high time we fix it.''

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said old growth forests will continue to be protected. ``Even with respect to the amount of acreage to be thinned, it is a fraction of the work necessary in high risk areas,'' he said.

The Bush administration supported the Senate bill and said it would provide ``the needed flexibility to manage public lands wisely'' and implement a forest management plan ``good for both the environment and our economy.''

The firefighting funds approved by the House by a 216-205 vote would provide $800 million for battling wildfires, an increase of nearly $300 million over the current budget. It also would allocate $937 million this fiscal year for activities such as tree thinning aimed at reducing the wildfire threat.

Supporters of the ``healthy forest'' bill in the Senate argued that a buildup of dead trees, brush and undergrowth has aggravated the fire threat and resulted in the kinds of wildfires that have devastated much of the West in recent years including the current fires in California and Colorado.

During the day, a series of amendments came up seeking to further limit the tree thinning program. But each was defeated as was a proposal by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., to funnel more of the forest protection fund to areas close to populated areas.

A proposal to limit the program to five years, offered by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, was defeated 61-31. Domenici said the job of improving forest health to significantly reduce the threat of wildfires could take 15 years or more.

AP-NY-10-30-03 2127EST

[P.O.E.]

Leaping from tree to tree, as they float down the mighty rivers of British Columbia. The Giant Redwood. The Larch. The Fir! The mighty Scots Pine! The lofty flowering Cherry! The plucky little Apsen! The limping Roo tree of Nigeria. The towering Wattle of Aldershot! The Maidenhead Weeping Water Plant! The naughty Leicestershire Flashing Oak! The flatulent Elm of West Ruislip! The Quercus Maximus Bamber Gascoigni! The Epigillus! The Barter Hughius Greenus!

With my best buddy by my side, we'd sing! Sing! Sing!

[eeriegeno]

The Senate just voted on the Healthy Forest bill 1904

Well, golly gee, that sure sounds like they are on the ball down there in DeeCee. Now if they will only extend the moratorium, or make a permanent law, before tomorrow night at midnight (when the current moratorium expires) to not allow taxes on access to the internet, I might be a bit more proud of them.

[Bob J]

Click Here for the RadioFR website!

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[what's up]

Here's the Nay votes:

Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE))
Cantwell (D-WA))
Carper (D-DE))
Clinton (D-NY))
Dodd (D-CT))
Durbin (D-IL))
Harkin (D-IA))
Jeffords (I-VT))
Kennedy (D-MA))
Leahy (D-VT))
Reed (D-RI))
Rockefeller (D-WV))
Schumer (D-NY)

[Trteamer]

Thank a Logger for your Lumber!

[alwaysconservative]

About darn time!!! Thanks for posting this! Now, let's see what we can do to get rid of that abominable ESA (Endangered Species Act) which has already cost human lives in the name of political correctness.

[michaelt]

If I were a homeowner in the mountains of Southern California, I'd be insulted right now. This hopefully will save homes and property in future years, but this is definitely a case of the Senate closing the barn door after every horse is long gone.

If they want to be helpful, they all should retire and let a new bunch of people actually get something done for the country instead of bellowing pretentious hot air in their precious debating society.

[forester]

Although I would like to see the Senate adopt a far more extensive rule change, this is a good first step, and I am glad that the Presidents Healthy Forest Intiative has passed. I especially like Senator Feinstein's admission that the forests need to be managed. Here is a link to a Free Republics Healthy Forest discussion thread. The first link is a Whitehouse web site and the second link is a thread with a ton of background news articles. Hopefully some open minded reporter will take it upon him or herself to elevate the rationale discussion of our nations forests. Lord knows that the current state of natural resource reporting is beyond pathetic.

Thank you Arizona Kathy, PhiKapMom and the rest of you FReepers for all your hard work in promoting resposible forest management.

[Grampa Dave]

"The Senate just voted on the Healthy Forest bill 1904, and passed it 80-14. Fire up the Chain saws let's get rid of some beetle trees! (It still has to go back to the house.)"

Great News!

Too bad so many innocent people had to burn to death in S Calfornia plus the massive property damage before the Senate woke up about the Watermelon Green Jihadists.

This has to be the worse defeat the Watermelon Green Jihadists have ever had, and the best news for the rest us in decades.

[Long Cut]

A good first step. It is my fond hope that, noe that devastating fires have hit close to an urban, populated area, that the environMENTALists will now be ignored by serious people, as they deserve. I would LOVE it if they are the targets of lawsuits by those who lost their homes or family members.

As for the three Orcs (I refuse to slander elves in this manner) who couldn't find the time in their busy campaign schedules to vote, the senate should adopt rules docking the pay of any member who misses votes. We should not be paying people who do not do their work.

Furthermore, rules should be adopted forcing the resignation of legislators who decide to run for President, as it is obvious that doing so prevents them from doing their current jobs.

[Fledermaus]

Interesting how fast liberal morons will switch their votes when they see the political writing on the wall.

When, oh when, will American's wake up and force these morons out of office? Oh, I forgot, they are mostly too stupid thanks to the indocrination from the NEA.

At this rate we'll have to have a Constitutional amendment to state 2+2=4.

[shekkian]

I'm a lumberjack and I'm Okay
I sleep all night and I work all day
I cut down trees, I wear high heels, suspenders and a bra.
I wish I was a girlie just like my grand mama.