Action Needed by June 24, 2004

Clearcut on the Eel River, Humboldt County Photo: Cynthia Elkins

The Schwarzenegger Administration last week unveiled a proposal to make sweeping changes in the way forestry is practiced throughout the state, aiming to fast-track a bill that would strip fish and wildlife protections from California's forests. The proposal comes in the form of a "trailer bill" attached to the state's budget, meaning it bypasses the regular legislative process and could be passed in less than two weeks.

The bill is fraught with problems, but one of the most troubling aspects is its creation of new, permanent logging plans that would have no size limitations or public or agency review. These logging plans would be granted to corporations that are "certified" through the industry's bogus "Sustainable Forestry Initiative" (SFI) or other programs. Run by the American Forest and Paper Association, an industry group, SFI has meaningless standards and most industrial timberland owners in California are "certified" through this program---including Maxxam/Pacific Lumber, Simpson Timber Company, and Sierra Pacific Industries. If this bill were approved, these companies would no longer have to provide information on the environmental impacts of their operations, and would simply have to file a notice with the state when they intend to log. For more information on SFI's bogus certification standards, please see http://www.americanlands.org/sfi_reports.htm.

Other problems include:

(1) The expansion of "non-industrial" timber management plans (NTMPs), another kind of permanent logging plan, to ownerships totaling 10,000 acres, tripling the current limit of 2,500 acres.

(2) The bill would establish fees to process logging plans, but the California Department of Forestry (CDF) would control all the money. And though CDF could share these funds with the Department of Fish and Game and the California Geological Survey, there is no provision for sharing fees with Water Quality Boards, and the bill would ban related fees that Water Boards can currently collect.

TAKE ACTION FOR CALIFORNIA'S FORESTS!

We need Governor Schwarzenegger to get thousands of emails, letters, and phone calls. The message is short and sweet: Kill the trailer bill and protect our forests!!!

Governor Schwarzenegger ran for office on a platform of environmental protection and government transparency, stating, "the people of this state do not trust this government. They feel it is corrupted by dirty money, closed doors, and backroom deals."

Please remind him of these words!

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
governor@governor.ca.gov