Our National Forests Must be Protected from “Lawless” Logging

The author opposes S. 1966, claiming it would mandate logging in up to 25 percent of designated "logging emphasis areas," leading to the loss of at least 7.5 million acres over 15 years. The text argues the bill eliminates judicial review and environmental safeguards, threatens drinking water supplies in the West, and provides less revenue for rural communities than the Secure Rural Schools Act of 2000.

• S. 1966, the "National Forests Job and Management Act of 2014," would mandate logging in up to 25 percent of "logging emphasis areas," which include old growth, wilderness study areas, and other ecologically sensitive zones. This would result in the loss of at least 7.5 million acres over 15 years, nearly tripling current logging levels.
• The proposed bill would remove the ability for citizens to seek judicial review, replacing it with a binding arbitration process where arbitrators are forbidden from considering whether a project complies with laws such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the National Forest Management Act.
• Increased logging in western national forests threatens critical water resources, as 50 percent of fresh drinking water supplies in the West originate from these forests. The author claims logging could lead to mud and silt entering watersheds, potentially costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars for new water treatment facilities.
• The economic argument for the bill is contested; the author states that the mandated logging would generate significantly less revenue for counties than the Secure Rural Schools Act of 2000 (SRS). Citing a Congressional Budget Office report on a similar House bill (H.R. 1526), the text notes that payments would average just over $50 million annually, compared to approximately $350 million per year under SRS.
• The author suggests that higher levels of logging mandated by the bill, combined with climate change impacts such as forest fires and more frequent droughts, could push national forests and their wildlife habitats over a tipping point.

APA

Earthjustice (2014). Our National Forests Must be Protected from “Lawless” Logging. https://earthjustice.org/article/our-national-forests-must-be-protected-from-lawless-logging

Chicago

Earthjustice. Our National Forests Must be Protected from “Lawless” Logging. 2014. https://earthjustice.org/article/our-national-forests-must-be-protected-from-lawless-logging.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Our National Forests Must be Protected from “Lawless” Logging |date=31 October 2014 |url=https://earthjustice.org/article/our-national-forests-must-be-protected-from-lawless-logging |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2014our, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Our National Forests Must be Protected from “Lawless” Logging}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://earthjustice.org/article/our-national-forests-must-be-protected-from-lawless-logging}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }