U.S. Rep. McInnis To Kerry/Edwards: Where Have You Been?

“Kerry/Edwards Forest Plan is Simply Political Pandering to the West”

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep Scott McInnis, author of the bipartisan Healthy Forests Restoration Act, issued the following statement regarding the Kerry/Edwards forest plan announced today:

“The announcement of a new forest plan by the Kerry/Edwards campaign for the west’s ailing forests is embarrassingly late and offers little if any new and constructive ideas to address the growing wildfire crisis.

“This sudden introduction of a forest management plan, said McInnis, should not be interpreted as a commitment to the health of our forests but rather seen for what it is: A year late and a dollar short. It is simply a veiled attempt to build support among western voters who have many reasons to question Kerry’s and Edwards’ commitment to the region’s values.

“Somehow Senators Kerry and Edwards have managed to sleep through the last several years of dialogue and achievement in the area of community wildfire protection. Their plan proposes forest management methods that are essentially already in place, first incorporated in the National Fire Plan in 2002 and culminating with the passage of the Healthy Forests Act last year; a bill that Kerry and Edwards vehemently opposed. Either they want credit for years of work that’s already been done, or they don’t know it occurred. Either way this reflects poorly on their forest and environmental credentials.

“While much work still needs to be done, significant progress has been made, particularly in the areas proposed in the Kerry/Edwards forest plan---which begs the question: Where was Kerry and Edwards? Where was their concern for the west when we debated this on the House and Senate floors? It took months of negotiations and considerable support from many of Mr. Kerry’s and Edwards’ Democratic colleagues to address this crisis. I can tell you as the act’s author, I could have used their support for the bills provisions, while pushing it through the Congress.

“By offering up a hollow shell of my Healthy Forests Restoration Act, Kerry and Edwards are trying to play both ends against the middle. First, their plan is an attempt to revert to the days of excessive environmental studies and frivolous litigation which prevents addressing hazardous fire conditions until it’s too late. At the same time, the plan also panders to western voters who clearly want action taken for the protection of their homes and families.

“The fact is when the west needed their votes and support most, they simply were not there. This is political pandering at its finest, and I doubt that many western voters are going to take a proposal seriously from two senators whose major western forests experience comes from their Gulfstreams at 30,000 feet.”