Congressman Pat Tiberi's Capitol Notebook

CONGRESSMAN PAT TIBERI'S CAPITOL NOTEBOOK

For the week of September 19, 2004

WASHINGTON-Ever hear of environmental legislation that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on? Bills like that don't come around very often, but the House of Representatives approved one this month when we passed an extension of the Tropical Rain Forest Preservation Act.

Our country has a significant national interest in protecting tropical forests in developing countries. Tropical forests provide a wide range of benefits. Their beauty and grandeur aside, they help fight global warming by acting as "carbon sinks" and absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide (one of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming) from the atmosphere. Tropical forests help regulate rainfall on which agricultural and coastal resources depend. And they are an important source for new medicines. Twenty-five percent of prescription drugs come from tropical forests. About 70% of the 3000 plants that scientists have identified as playing a role in fighting cancer can be found in rain forests.

Unfortunately, tropical forests are disappearing. The latest figures indicate that 30 million acres-an area larger than the state of Pennsylvania-are lost each year. One reason is the heavy debt burden faced by developing countries. Often they must resort to exploitation of their natural resources, timber chief among them, to generate revenue to service their external debt. Even if this weren't the case, governments in developing countries tend to have few resources set aside for protection of tropical forests.

This is where the Tropical Forest Conservation Act comes in. It authorizes the continuation of an existing program that allows the U.S. to engage in debt relief agreements with eligible countries who in turn act to protect threatened tropical forests. It's conservatively estimated that because of agreements generated under this program, some 41 million acres of tropical forest in seven nations have been protected.

The debt-for-nature mechanisms of this program are an effective means of leveraging scarce funds for international conservation. The host country typically agrees to place an amount of money into a tropical forest preservation fund that at least equals the cost

to our country of the debt reduction. Local conservation organizations often add their own dollars to these accounts, making them go that much farther.

It's interesting to note the important role two Ohioans have played in this program. The original legislation establishing the program was introduced by my current colleague, Rob Portman of Cincinnati, and my predecessor, John Kasich, back in 1997 along with Democrat Lee Hamilton of Indiana. The legislation we approved this month extending the program was written by Cong. Portman. It's something he cares deeply about.

Cong. Portman made some important improvements to the program. His proposal will better fund audits to ensure the program is operating as expected. It also broadens the program by allowing principal as well as interest to be reduced and redirected into forest conservation.

Our rain forest conservation program extension was approved unanimously in the House. It deserves quick approval by the Senate as well.

Congressman Pat Tiberi represents Central Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives and can be reached at 614 523 2555.