People concerned about the environmental impact of resource extractions and other federal actions have until Monday, Aug. 12, to voice their concerns about a proposal that could essentially eliminate public review of public forest management.
The forestry watchdog group Bark says the proposed changes would create loopholes to increase the speed and scale of resource extraction, including logging, mining and even pipelines, while eliminating public notification and input on up to 93% of proposed projects.
The U.S. Forest Services is proposing eliminating public participation in how it manages nearly 200 million acres of national forested land, a change Bark said would fast-track clear-cut logging, mining and road construction.
GALLERY: A bird's-eye view of Oregon's clear-cuts
Under the National Environmental Protection Act, or NEPA, agencies undertaking a major federal action are required to analyze the action’s environmental impact, make that analysis public, and consider public input on the action. In the case of the U.S. Forest Service, this process allows organizations such as Bark to see what the federal agency intends to do with public lands, offer input to make improvements and hold the agency accountable to public interest. Dating back to 1970, it is considered one of the nation’s oldest environmental protection laws.
According to the Forest Service, the updates would create a new suite of “categorical exclusions,” a classification under the NEPA excluding certain routine activities from more extensive analysis under an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
The proposed categorical exclusions would be for “restoration projects, roads and trails management, and recreation and facility management, as well as special use authorizations that issue permits for outfitters and guides, community organizations, civic groups and others who seek to recreate on our national forests and grasslands.”
The Forest Service says the new exclusions are intended to reduce delays for routine activities by months or years.
NEPA also allows the public to take a federal agency to court if they persist in breaking environmental laws, according to Bark.
“Without this vital regulation, federal agencies cannot be held accountable to protect the air, water, wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and special places we rely on for our well-being,” said Bark staff attorney Brenna Bell in a public statement alerting supporters to the deadline.
Bell cited the Pollali Cooper Timber Sale, in which members of the public, along with Bark, Oregon Wild, the American Forest Resource Council and the Forest Service publicly resolved some concerns about the impact of the project and modified the proposal. That included reducing the number of acres logged and miles of roads developed.
“While we can’t stop every timber sale, we can protect the most sensitive and ecologically valuable areas by using the processes outlined in NEPA,” Bell stated.
Other proposed changes to NEPA would lower the emphasis on evaluating the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on federal projects, reversing efforts under the Obama administration to single out the need to quantify greenhouse gases in the review process to better address climate change.
In June, the White House Council on Environmental Quality modified NEPA guidelines to say that agencies do not need to give greater consideration to potential greenhouse gas emissions than any other potential impact on the environment.
Timber harvesting is far and away the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon. Nationwide, logging emits more carbon than the residential and commercial sectors combined, according to studies by the Center for Sustainable Economy and Oregon State University.
You may read the proposed changes and submit comments on the Office of Federal Register's website.
Email Executive Editor Joanne Zuhl at joanne@streetroots.org.