[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 125 (Friday, September 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RESTORING HEALTHY FORESTS FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                      HON. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1526) to 
     restore employment and educational opportunities in, and 
     improve the economic stability of, counties containing 
     National Forest System land, while also reducing Forest 
     Service management costs, by ensuring that such counties have 
     a dependable source of revenue from National Forest System 
     land, to provide a temporary extension of the Secure Rural 
     Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, and for 
     other purposes:

  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of 
H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act. 
This bill is the fulfillment of a promise that the federal government 
made to counties and communities, particularly those in the Western 
part of the country, more than a century ago.
  For far too long, our national forests have been managed by a 
strategy that fails to recognize the tremendous resource potential that 
our national forests hold. At the beginning of the 20th century when 
our national forest system was being created, the federal government 
implemented a program to exchange land owned by counties in return for 
a share of the revenue generated off the land. The land was managed for 
resource extraction and forests thrived.
  That is until the forest management strategy shifted. As extraction 
became less popular and increasingly vulnerable to litigation, timber 
revenue decreased and communities became wards of the federal 
government. In fact, timber harvests in our National Forests have 
fallen 80 percent over the last 30 years. Forest health is at an all 
time low. Jobs are scarce and communities are decimated.
  In Eastern Washington, the Colville National Forest has been the 
economic engine for Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties--
providing jobs, energy, and recreational opportunities. Yet, mills have 
closed, jobs lost, and of the 1.1 million acres in the Colville 
National Forest, over 300,000 are bug infested. This is unacceptable.
  This past August, I met with forest officials, community leaders in 
the Colville National Forest, and other stakeholders to chart a path 
forward. We need a path that allows states and local governments to 
manage their affairs because they have shown success.
  States have shown that they are able to produce several times more 
harvest and revenue from a smaller land base than the federal 
government. For example, Washington State is able to harvest 7 times as 
much timber, and generate 200 times as much revenue on 1/4 the land 
area as the Forest Service. We need forest management policies that 
exploit these successes.
  H.R. 1526 does just that. It allows responsible timber production on 
Forest Service commercial timber lands--areas that were specifically 
identified by the forest service for timber harvest. It also allows 
state and local governments to get more involved in preventing 
wildfires on federal lands, and lets counties actively manage portions 
of National Forest land.
  It is a common sense solution that provides a sustainable revenue 
stream for rural schools and counties for years to come. It creates 
jobs, improves forest health, and strengthens our rural communities. It 
is a win-win for everyone. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 
1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act.

                          ____________________