WASHINGTON, DC – Responding to the need to address the health of America's and Washington's forests, today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) attended the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s hearing regarding the fiscal year 2009 proposed budget for the U.S. Forest Service. Cantwell expressed concerns over drastic funding cuts to forest health programs in Washington state to Undersecretary Mark Rey of the United States Forest Service.  As proposed, the Forest Service budget fails to address road and trail maintenance, would fail to meet water quality standards, slashes funding for rural timber reliant communities, and cuts wildfire prevention funding.   

"This is another disappointing proposed budget from the Forest Service, and makes me wonder whether the Forest Service has ever thought about what the agency and country will look like in 5 or 10 years,” said Cantwell.  “The Forest Service is speaking out both sides of its mouth.  On the one hand, they identify water quality as a priority but, in their budget, they zero out funding for the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program – a critical program that targets water quality.  This is unacceptable and the people of Washington state and the country deserve better.”

In 2000, the Forest Service signed an agreement with the Washington Department of Ecology committing to meet water quality standards by repairing, maintaining or closing roads on National Forests in Washington. During today’s hearing, Cantwell grilled Undersecretary Mark Rey on the Forest Service’s non-compliance with this agreement, and the Administration’s proposed budget that would further jeopardize the agency’s ability to meet its obligations.  In response, Mr. Rey claimed that the Forest Service was in compliance with its agreement, and stated that he believed the state was satisfied with the Forest Services' progress.  “I have been in contact with the state and they confirmed that the Forest Service is not in compliance with its agreement and their lack of road maintenance is jeopardizing efforts to recover endangered salmon and improve water quality downstream.” Cantwell said.  “Mark Rey is just flat-out wrong.”

 

There is an estimated $300 million backlog of road damage on 22,000 miles of Forest Service roads in Washington State. In recent years, the Forest Service has allotted approximately $3 million per year to Washington for deteriorating roads, while the backlog of maintenance grows by more than $8 million per year.  In addition, with the storm events that have occurred in the last two years, there has been an additional $40 million dollars in damage added to the problem.  Last year, Cantwell worked with Congressman Dicks and the state of Washington to address this problem and start the $40 million Legacy Road and Trail Remediation program that would increase funding for urgently needed road and trail projects in sensitive watersheds.

 

 

In addition, the proposed Forest Service budget underfunds the vital County Payments program by $1.4 billion over the next four years compared to last year’s funding levels.  The County Payments program supplies funding to over 700 timber reliant counties in 39 states and has proven essential to providing essential services in communities across Washington state.

“County commissioners across the country are being forced to make tough decisions just to make ends meet for their counties.  But yet again, the Administration proposes abandoning these rural communities” said Cantwell. “Counties are already beginning to layoff employees and teachers while making immediate cuts in basic government services.  Not funding the County Payments program is simply unacceptable.”

 

The Forest Service also proposes increasing funding for wildfire suppression by $150 million, but cuts fire preparedness, cooperative fire assistance, and state and private forestry programs by nearly $270 million.  “Investing in fire suppression, while cutting prevention, is a foolhardy approach that will only lead to even higher wildfire costs and budget pressures” continued Cantwell.

In addition, the proposed budget reduces core research programs affecting forest and rangeland ecosystems; guts urban and cooperative protection of sensitive lands, and reduces care for trails and roads throughout the country.

 

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