Ithaca 37
New member
Here's how to email your Congressional delegation. I sent them a real short email quite frequently on any issue I want to influence. Just click on your state:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Now, here's a good issue to start contacting them about. My first email to my delegation only said this, and it's usually enough: "I oppose the sale of national forest lands to pay for rural school programs, or to pay for any other programs. Our public lands are sacred and should NEVER be sold. In fact, federal funds should be used to buy more land for outdoor recreation at every opportunity."
The comment period on this national forest land sale scheme has been extended for thirty more days:
"Lawmakers rap forest land sales; ag chief defends plan
By NOELLE STRAUB - Lee Washington Bureau - 03/01/06
WASHINGTON — Forest Service officials and Western lawmakers battled Tuesday over an administration proposal that would sell national forest lands to help pay for a rural schools program, as the vital 30-day public comment period began.
Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey defended the program but faced skeptical questions from senators of both parties during testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Congress must approve the proposal before any land could be sold.
President Bush’s 2007 budget proposed to fund payments over five years to counties under the Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act by selling off up to $800 million worth of National Forest System lands.
The act, designed to provide transitional assistance to rural counties affected by declining revenue from timber harvests on federal lands, is set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress renews it.
The Forest Service has identified 300,000 acres of land that could be offered for sale, although Rey said only about 175,000 acres would probably be needed to raise enough money.
In Montana, 13,948 acres are potentially for sale in the Beaverhead, Bitterroot, Custer, Deerlodge, Flathead, Gallatin, Helena, Kootenai, Lewis and Clark and Lolo forests.
In Wyoming, 17,619 acres are potentially for sale in the Black Hills, Medicine Bow and Bridger-Teton forests and the Thunder Basin National Grassland.
Forest Service officials said they had posted detailed maps of every parcel on its Web site Tuesday so the public could examine them and make comments, but technical glitches plagued the site and the maps could not be seen for much of the day.
The Forest Service also on Tuesday published a notice in the Federal Register seeking comments until March 30. Rey said the agency will rework the suggested list of parcels for sale after the comment period, before presenting it to Congress.
Montana and Wyoming members of Congress support the Rural Schools Act and want it to be renewed, but they generally say a different funding source must be found.
Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., has called the land-sales proposal “dead in the water.” Asked about it Tuesday, he replied, “I’m opposed to it. That’s it.”
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has been urging Montanans to unite to fight the proposal, and Rep. Dennis Rehberg, R-Mont., objected to the land sales in a letter to Bush last week.
Asked by reporters about the Montana delegation’s united opposition, Rey said, “What we are getting from a broader range of members (of Congress) than just the Montana delegation is a deep concern over this approach and a general feeling that if there were another alternative available that would be far preferable.”
But Rey emphasized that the plan is the “only proposal on the table” to fund the rural schools program and that no other options currently exist.
Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., called the land sales proposal a “ridiculous idea.” He added, “There are towns that are hurting, there are ways we ought to take care of them, but selling off the public lands isn’t one of them.”
Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., said in a statement that she’s “not convinced” federal land sales are the best way to fund the rural schools act and will watch the process.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., questioned Rey at the hearing about the need for land sales. After the hearing, Thomas said he remains concerned that people have enough time to examine the proposal and added that while some lands need to be sold, others shouldn’t.
“About all they did (at the hearing) was say that they’re going to have lots of opportunity for people to see what lands they’re talking about, have some local input, so I really think they do understand that it’s going to be very important to do that,” Thomas said.
“I’m not too crazy about the idea of the way, what they’re trying to do here to raise money,” he added. “But there are lands that need to be changed and if we have a chance to look at it and evaluate it and make sure we don’t take lands that are necessary for access and so on, it’ll be all right.”
Rey said one change has already been made in the proposal, which has drawn criticism since being unveiled earlier this month. Now state and local governments and land trusts will be given the opportunity to buy the lands at a fair market price first, Rey said. If those entities don’t want the parcels, they will be put up for public auction as originally proposed.
All the parcels potentially for sale do not meet Forest Service needs and are isolated and difficult to manage, Rey said.
To view the Forest Service map of lands being considered for sale under the proposal, go to the agency Web site: geocommstg.esri.com
/NILS-PARCEL2/map.
jsp?MapUSFS
Comments must be made by March 30. They may be submitted by e-mail to SRS—Land—[email protected], by facsimile to (202) 205-1604, or by mail to USDA Forest Service, SRS Comments, Lands 4S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Mailstop 1124, Washington, DC 202500003. "
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Now, here's a good issue to start contacting them about. My first email to my delegation only said this, and it's usually enough: "I oppose the sale of national forest lands to pay for rural school programs, or to pay for any other programs. Our public lands are sacred and should NEVER be sold. In fact, federal funds should be used to buy more land for outdoor recreation at every opportunity."
The comment period on this national forest land sale scheme has been extended for thirty more days:
"Lawmakers rap forest land sales; ag chief defends plan
By NOELLE STRAUB - Lee Washington Bureau - 03/01/06
WASHINGTON — Forest Service officials and Western lawmakers battled Tuesday over an administration proposal that would sell national forest lands to help pay for a rural schools program, as the vital 30-day public comment period began.
Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey defended the program but faced skeptical questions from senators of both parties during testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Congress must approve the proposal before any land could be sold.
President Bush’s 2007 budget proposed to fund payments over five years to counties under the Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act by selling off up to $800 million worth of National Forest System lands.
The act, designed to provide transitional assistance to rural counties affected by declining revenue from timber harvests on federal lands, is set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress renews it.
The Forest Service has identified 300,000 acres of land that could be offered for sale, although Rey said only about 175,000 acres would probably be needed to raise enough money.
In Montana, 13,948 acres are potentially for sale in the Beaverhead, Bitterroot, Custer, Deerlodge, Flathead, Gallatin, Helena, Kootenai, Lewis and Clark and Lolo forests.
In Wyoming, 17,619 acres are potentially for sale in the Black Hills, Medicine Bow and Bridger-Teton forests and the Thunder Basin National Grassland.
Forest Service officials said they had posted detailed maps of every parcel on its Web site Tuesday so the public could examine them and make comments, but technical glitches plagued the site and the maps could not be seen for much of the day.
The Forest Service also on Tuesday published a notice in the Federal Register seeking comments until March 30. Rey said the agency will rework the suggested list of parcels for sale after the comment period, before presenting it to Congress.
Montana and Wyoming members of Congress support the Rural Schools Act and want it to be renewed, but they generally say a different funding source must be found.
Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., has called the land-sales proposal “dead in the water.” Asked about it Tuesday, he replied, “I’m opposed to it. That’s it.”
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has been urging Montanans to unite to fight the proposal, and Rep. Dennis Rehberg, R-Mont., objected to the land sales in a letter to Bush last week.
Asked by reporters about the Montana delegation’s united opposition, Rey said, “What we are getting from a broader range of members (of Congress) than just the Montana delegation is a deep concern over this approach and a general feeling that if there were another alternative available that would be far preferable.”
But Rey emphasized that the plan is the “only proposal on the table” to fund the rural schools program and that no other options currently exist.
Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., called the land sales proposal a “ridiculous idea.” He added, “There are towns that are hurting, there are ways we ought to take care of them, but selling off the public lands isn’t one of them.”
Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., said in a statement that she’s “not convinced” federal land sales are the best way to fund the rural schools act and will watch the process.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., questioned Rey at the hearing about the need for land sales. After the hearing, Thomas said he remains concerned that people have enough time to examine the proposal and added that while some lands need to be sold, others shouldn’t.
“About all they did (at the hearing) was say that they’re going to have lots of opportunity for people to see what lands they’re talking about, have some local input, so I really think they do understand that it’s going to be very important to do that,” Thomas said.
“I’m not too crazy about the idea of the way, what they’re trying to do here to raise money,” he added. “But there are lands that need to be changed and if we have a chance to look at it and evaluate it and make sure we don’t take lands that are necessary for access and so on, it’ll be all right.”
Rey said one change has already been made in the proposal, which has drawn criticism since being unveiled earlier this month. Now state and local governments and land trusts will be given the opportunity to buy the lands at a fair market price first, Rey said. If those entities don’t want the parcels, they will be put up for public auction as originally proposed.
All the parcels potentially for sale do not meet Forest Service needs and are isolated and difficult to manage, Rey said.
To view the Forest Service map of lands being considered for sale under the proposal, go to the agency Web site: geocommstg.esri.com
/NILS-PARCEL2/map.
jsp?MapUSFS
Comments must be made by March 30. They may be submitted by e-mail to SRS—Land—[email protected], by facsimile to (202) 205-1604, or by mail to USDA Forest Service, SRS Comments, Lands 4S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Mailstop 1124, Washington, DC 202500003. "
