“We know the majority of the American public stands behind this legislation, so we have the power of the people on our side. We have that going in, and that’s the strongest power of all in this democracy of ours.” —Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) “I think this approach brings sincerity to United States environmental policy and good sense to the taxpayer pocketbook. We as a country have an obligation to be good stewards of our land, and we as members of Congress have an obligation to be fair and reasonable to the taxpayer.” —Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA) “We need this legislation. Not only do taxpayers need this legislation, but employees, reform minded employees who want to do the right thing in the Forest Service need this legislation.” —Jeff DeBonis, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, (PEER)

In 1997, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) and Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA) responded to the public’s call for an end to public lands logging by introducing the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act (NFPRA). Intended to save taxpayer money, reduce the deficit, cut corporate welfare, and protect and restore America’s natural heritage, the Act eliminates the commercial logging program on federal public lands and assists communities dependent on this program with economic recovery and diversification. Though the Act effectively addresses public land logging, it does not affect other resource extraction, such as grazing, mining, and oil and gas development.

The National Forest Protection and Restoration Act would:

	Preserve America’s National Forest heritage, protecting and restoring the ecological values of our federal public forests by ending the federal government’s timber sale program on National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges, and Bureau of Land Management lands.
	Protect all roadless areas from logging by cancelling existing timber sales in those areas, immediately protecting the most ecologically sensitive lands. Remaining pristine forests would be put off limits to further logging and road construction.
	Prohibit all new timber sales and phase out all existing timber sales within two years. This bill would seek to mitigate the damage done by the so-called “timber salvage” rider that exempted public lands logging from environmental laws. Vice President Gore has called the rider “the biggest mistake” of the Administration. The National Forest Protection and Restoration Act would immediately cancel remaining “salvage rider sales.”
	Save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually by ending the fiscally irresponsible federal timber sales program. This bill would eliminate the multimillion dollar annual subsidy to the timber industry, saving at least $300 million in the first year after passage.
	Redirect logging subsidies to provide training, adjustment assistance, education, employment services, and need-related payments to dislocated timber workers.
	Redirect monies currently held in Forest Service accounts to continue providing funding to states for counties and local governments during the transition period.
	Redirect logging subsidies to provide start-up funding for businesses developing or producing environmentally sensitive nonwood alternative paper and construction materials.
	Begin a scientifically-based ecological restoration program for federal public forests. The bill directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to establish a Natural Heritage Restoration Corps. This Corps will work to restore logged areas on federal public lands through activities such as revegetation, prescribed burning, stabilizing soils, road removal, and removal of barriers to fish migration. The Act directs the Corps to give preference to dislocated timber workers when hiring personnel or private contractors for its restoration work.

Public lands should be managed to provide clean air and clean water, wilderness and wildlife habitat, and compatible recreation for the American public.

Public land’s highest and best use is to provide core reserves for the protection and restoration of biological diversity and dynamic ecosystem processes.

No activities that destroy or degrade the quality of air and water, wilderness and wildlife habitat should be permitted on public lands.

The corporate and commercial exploitation of public lands must be halted. This includes, but is not limited to, commercial timber sales, grazing, mining, and oil and gas development.

The nation’s forests are worth far more, ecologically and economically, for ourselves and future generations standing and growing where they are than liquidated for short-term gain.

By eliminating subsidized abuses of public resources, billions of taxpayer dollars will be saved. These vast subsidies should be redirected to programs that create jobs restoring ecosystems, recover wildlife populations, reduce consumption and provide practical alternatives, and promote sustainability on private lands.

Ending resource extraction on public lands and redirecting government subsidies will help to diversify, stabilize, and strengthen forest dependent communities and the nation’s economy.

Zero-Cut