[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 51 (Monday, December 26, 1994)]
[Page 2523]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Northwest Forest Plan

December 21, 1994

    Today, a U.S. District Court upheld the Northwest Forest Plan. This 
decision allows us to continue to move forward in pursuit of my 
commitment to the people and the environment of the Pacific Northwest 
and northern California.
    For years, gridlock over the management of public forest lands 
created an uncertain future for the people of the region. It was a 
problem my administration inherited, and one that we made a priority to 
solve.
    Just 7 months after the announcement of the forest plan, much has 
already been done. Unemployment for the entire region is at its lowest 
level in years, millions of dollars have been distributed to more than 
100 communities for economic revitalization, and work is underway to 
analyze and restore damaged watersheds and protect millions of acres of 
old-growth habitat. The plan approved today will provide for a 
sustainable level of timber harvesting, while protecting the 
environment.
    In the true spirit of reinventing Government, the plan is a model of 
interagency cooperation with seven different Federal agencies working 
together, sharing information, and making joint decisions. It is the 
common sense way to do business and will prevent us from falling back to 
the days of gridlock. We are moving forward at last, and my 
administration and I remain committed to the people, to the economy, and 
to the environment of the Pacific Northwest and northern California.