SACRAMENTO, Calif.--California’s Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman today questioned a road less area speech delivered by U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey as being"difficult to comprehend".
Chrisman said Rey’s remarks regarding California road less areas and fire suppression costs, delivered yesterday during a Wildland Urban Interface conference in Reno,
“make no sense at all and are contrary to the facts,”since California’s roadless area policy provides an exception for the construction of roads to fight fires.
Since day one we have been clear and consistent with our roadless policy and it has always included an exception for roads to be built to fight fires, Chrisman said. In fact, we have put this in writing several times and it has in turn been acknowledged by the Forest Service.
So, its difficult to comprehend Mark’s comments since they are contrary to the facts and to California’s roadless area policy.
California’s policy, that the Forest Service fails to recognize in management plans for four Southern California forests, specifically allows for roads to be built for fighting wildfires.
Letters exchanged between Chrisman and two Forest Service regional foresters, attest to that fact.
On Feb. 28, Chrisman and California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. filed a U.S. District court complaint contesting four Southern California forest management plans. The litigation alleges that the Forest Service failed to consider California’s roadless area policy in violation of the National Forest Management Act.
In addition, the complaint claims that the Forest Service failed to conduct appropriate environmental analysis in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.
Attachments available at: www.resources.ca.gov/keeping_californias_roadless_areas_roadless.html
No comments:
Post a Comment
CAL FIRE NEWS LOVES COMMENTS...
- Due to rampant abuse, we are no longer posting anonymous comments. Please use your real OpenID, Google, Yahoo, AIM, Twitter, Flickr name.