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Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Tax And Environment: Twice the waste
Alaskan politicians have a compulsion to cut old-growth trees in America's largest national forest. The Alaskan obsession has proved costly for taxpayers and the environment.
The House of Representatives will soon consider a bipartisan effort to stop the abysmal waste of federal dollars on building new roads for timber trucks in the Tongass National Forest. The measure, sponsored by Ohio Republican Rep. Steve Chabott and New Jersey Democratic Rep. Robert Andrews, would provide much-needed doses of fiscal and environmental sanity.
A broad House coalition last year passed a similar measure from the two members, but the Senate refused to go along. Protecting America's largest temperate rainforest is worth another try.
Taxpayers for Common Sense calls the U.S. Forest Service's operations in the Tongass "a case study in bad business." Last year, the Tongass lost nearly $48 million on its timber program, according to the taxpayers group. More remarkably, Taxpayers for Common Sense puts Forest Service revenues for Tongass timber at less than $800,000, which makes the logging there almost a pure exercise in subsidizing private industry.
The Tongass has plenty of timber near existing logging roads. There is no need to extend the cutting and waste. The House should call off the bulldozers that damage the forest ecosystem and the federal budget in equal measures.
 | |
| Should the U.S. Forest Service build boards to help logging? | |
 12.2%Yes. Timber cutting is a key purpose of the national forests |
85.9% No. Taxpayers shouldn't subsidize timber companies |
| 1.8% Undecided or don't care |
|
| Total Votes: 327 | |
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