The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, December 04, 2003, Image 8

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8A
Thursday, December 4, 2003
NAM
the battaui
‘Healthy Forests’ allows for increasd
brush cutting, more logging protectioi
Chuck Kinnioy • KRT CAMPUS
President George W. Bush waves to the audience after a signing ceremony for the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act in Washington Wednesday. The new legislation is intended to help prevent devastat
ing wildfires that hove annually plagued western states.
By Robert Gehrke
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — More timber and
brush can be cut and cleared with less
environmental scrutiny under a “Healthy
Forests” law President Bush signed
Wednesday. He said it will help protect
communities from devastating wildfires.
“This law will not prevent every fire,
but it is an important step forward, a vital
step to make sure we do our duty to protect
our nation's forests,” Bush said while
standing in front of rows of wildland fire
fighters. “We’ll help save lives and proper
ty and we’ll help protect our forests from
sudden and needless destruction,” he said.
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act
signed by the president is the first major
forest management legislation in a quarter-
century. It seeks to speed up the harvesting
of trees in overgrown woodlands and
insect-infested trees on 20 million acres of
federal forest land most at risk to
wildfires.
It does that by scaling back required
environmental studies, limiting appeals
and directing judges to act quickly on legal
challenges to logging plans.
Critics said the bill would let timber
companies cut down large, old-growth
trees in the name of fire prevention.
“There’s a real danger that the presi
dent’s pen might as well be a chain saw,”
said Amy Mall, a forestry specialist with
the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Rep. Scott Mclnnis, R-Colo., sponsor
of the legislation, said those complaints
are from groups out of touch with the
mainstream.
“Of course when you thin out forests
you’re going to have logging. You’re going
to have to,” he said. “But people want
these forests managed. People want the
science used.”
Legislation aimed at speeding decisions
on where to allow timbering in national
forests was bogged down in Congress for
three years — until California blazes
whipped by Santa Ana winds burned
750,000 acres, destroyed 3,640 homes and
forced a compromise. (
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said language
added to Bush’s initial proposal will pro
tect old-growth and large-diameter Ires
"The signing of this forest bill iniols
shows what can be accomplished wtaj
sides are w illing to put aside partisan
and do what is best for commu
threatened by deadly and destructive^
fires.” he said. "This new law protectsi
growth forests while providing subst®
support for hazardous fuels reduction.'
Even after the California fires, 1!
was a below-average fire year. So far,:
million acres have burned. Twenty-®
firefighters died battling the bte
according to the Wildland Firefitta
Foundation. In 2002, nearly 1 mil
acres were charred.
The Bush administration estimatt':
190 million acres are at heightenedrisli
a severe wildfire — an area the ski
Idaho. Montana and Wyoming combiK
Mike Dombeck, Forest Serviced
during President Clinton’s second tii
said Congress should have (
stronger protections for old-growth Jj
and roadless areas. Nonetheless, be cal
the new- law "a step in the right directiti |
“We need to completely rethinl:
approach to fire and our human into:
with fire and the wildland urban inieifi
It’s obvious where we’ve been is non:
ing,” said Dombeck, now a forestry pro
sor at the University of Wisconsin
Stevens Point.
But Dombeck said none of the chans:
the bill would have prevented the firesil
tore through swaths of California, An
and Colorado over the past two years.
The measure authorizes Congrei
dedicate $760 million ayearfortbii
projects. At least half of the moneyin
be spent on projects near homes and(®
munities.
Jay Watson, wildfire expert wif
Wilderness Society, said imp
changes were included in the hips
compromise bill that added mont
thinning and required half the fun
spent in forests near communities,
the law is implemented will determin;:
is helpful to the forests or a payback®'
timber companies, he said.
The Center for Responsive Pc
the timber industry has contributed!;
million to political campaigns since
80 percent of it to Republicans. I
received $519,350 from the ir
also has spent $23.8 million on lobby
efforts since 2000, according to fi®
compiled by Political Money Line
cc
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Pentagon assigns lawyer for Guantanamo Bay prisont
By Matt Kelley
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — An
Australian prisoner at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has
become the first foreign terrorist
suspect to be given a U.S. mili
tary lawyer, the Pentagon
announced Wednesday.
Marine Corps Maj. Michael
Mori will represent David
Hicks, the Defense Department
said in a brief statement.
Hicks is one of six prisoners
at the Navy base in Cuba that
President Bush named as possi
ble candidates for trial by a spe
cial military tribunal for terror
ism suspects. One other
Australian citizen is among the
more than 660 men and boys
being held there.
Deputy Defense Secretary
Paul Wolfowitz will make the
final decision on which
Guantanamo prisoners, if any,
will face trial. Wolfowitz has not
decided on Hicks’ case, the
Pentagon statement said.
The announcement came a
day after the Pentagon
announced an about-face in the
case of a Louisiana-born terror
ism suspect being held in the
United States as an “enemy
combatant.” The Defense
Department agreed to let Yaser
Esam Hamdi meet with a
lawyer, a reversal from its previ
ous refusal to do so.
The United States and
Australia announced last week
they had reached an agreement
on how Hicks would be tried
before a U.S. military tribunal.
Australian officials said they
were satisfied Hicks would get a
fair trial.
U.S. officials assured
Australia that Hicks would not
face the death penalty 3
would not have his con' 1 ®
tions with his lawyer mom®
by American troops. The Bo
administration also has a*
to allow terrorism suspects
Hicks to have lawyers fromfc
home countries act as atfe
during any trial, a mease
which was not allowed::
original rules for the tribunals
Mori will travel
Guantanamo soon to meet"-
Hicks and inform him of the t
bunal rules, the Pentagon st3
ment said, without givingasf
cific date for the trip.
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