The House Natural Resources Committee marked up and passed H.R. 2936, the “Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017”. The bill is now waiting in the House for debate.

The bill would expedite National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) review for U.S. Forest Service projects in order to improve forest management on federal and Tribal lands and reduce fire risks. It may also exempt a wide range of logging activities on the National Forests from the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The bill would open America’s national forests and roadless areas to expedited logging. H.R. 2936 would push timber production on federal lands and undermine citizens’ ability to enforce environmental laws. It severely undermines the NEPA by exempting several harmful activities from environmental review and public comment. It eliminates rights for citizens to recover attorneys’ fees from the federal government when they prevail in court. It forces citizens who want to challenge certain forest management projects into an industry-biased “binding” agency arbitration process, eliminating the possibility of judicial review in federal courts.

The bill also calls for a statutory repeal of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, the first monument designated specifically to preserve biodiversity.

WHEN :

NOW. Public Comment to Members of Congress

Immediately