| Forest Service Cover-up
July 30, 2002 By Jim Trenholm, Forest Service volunteer Roy, Utah 801-731-4817 Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake City, Utah To submit a Letter to the Editor: letters@sltrib.com "Pouring Fuel on Fires" (Salt Lake Tribune, July 14, 2002) is an excellent editorial -- as far as it went. The sad part of this unfolding story is that Al Gore, Dan Glickman, Jim Lyons and Mike Dombeck conspired -- with environmentalists and The New York Times editorial board (perhaps unknowingly) -- to eliminate forest management and keep humans out of our national forests. Former Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck's proposed 18-month moratorium on road construction and reconstruction in "roadless areas" was unnecessary and nonsensical. How is it possible to reconstruct a road in a "roadless area?" Gore and his team relentlessly moved ahead to the point where former President Bill Clinton claimed 58.5 million acres of national forest system lands as "roadless areas." Within these so-called "roadless areas" are thousands of miles of forest roads. Forest roads are necessary for protection, management and use of our national forests and their abundant resources. Corporate scandal has destroyed confidence in our economy. Many have said, "At least we can trust this administration." There is no doubt the past administration was untrustworthy. It appears Vice President Dick Cheney, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Undersecretary Mark Rey and Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth are covering up wrongdoing of their predecessors. Hopefully, when we hear from Secretary Veneman, we will find out otherwise. |