Rep. Gosar Decries the Obama Administration's New Federal Forest Regulations
Press Release
Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) responded to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's release of the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the U.S. Forest Service's new forest planning rule, policy that will determine how the agency manages the country's national forests and grasslands:
"The Obama Administration's new forest planning rule increases costly, burdensome regulations and undermines the multiple-use mission of the Forest Service. Rural Arizonans know first-hand the unfortunate truth: these types of policies stifle our local economies and lead to unhealthy and overgrown forests, which leave my constituents vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires.
Our forest and natural resources are a way of life in Arizona. I urge the Administration to reconsider these new overly restrictive regulations. A new plan that emphasizes active forest management will improve public safety, help the environment, and stimulate the economy of rural Arizona."
Last February, Congressman Gosar joined 58 other Congressmen, who represent over 75 percent of our country's federal forest and grass lands, in sending a letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack raising concerns about the proposed new planning rules' de-emphasis on active forest management. The Administration's new regulations represent excessive layers of bureaucracy that will cost jobs, hinder proper forest management, increase litigation and add burdensome costs for Americans.
The National Forest System consists of 155 National Forests and 20 Grasslands, totaling 192 million acres in 44 States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Arizona's First Congressional District is home to over nine million acres of those lands. That acreage includes all or parts of Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab, Prescott, and Tonto National Forests. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Congressman Gosar continues to be a strong advocate for federal forest policy reforms.
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