Liberty
Matters News Service
August 14, 2003
Utah Governor Mike Leavitt New EPA Head
President George W. Bush, Monday, appointed Utah Governor Mike
Leavitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Utah's business community
heaped praise on the three-term governor for helping to bring jobs to the state
and for encouraging the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to work with
businesses to help them comply with regulations. Tom Bishop, president of the
Utah Manufactures Association said; "The key is if he [Leavitt] could change
the focus of [of the EPA] to one of compliance rather than enforcement, to not
just levy heavy fines but help companies to become compliant…If that would
become the philosophy of the EPA, that would be a real step forward." Leavitt
has come under fire from environmental groups lately for his agreement with
Interior Secretary Norton (Memorandum of Understanding) that removed millions
of acres of land from de facto wilderness status. Leavitt told attendees at the
16th Annual Utah Rural Summit that "environmental extremists are manipulating
the facts about Utah wilderness. I'm not optimistic that the extreme
environmental community is reaching for a solution on wilderness." The MOU is a
vehicle to solve disputes. "The essence of the agreement is that Congress is
the only one able to designate wilderness," not Utah or the Bureau of Land
Management.
Leavitt Says Wilds
'Extremists' Twist Facts
Leavitt's Job Efforts
Praised
Bush Visits Arizona to Promote "Healthy Forests Initiative"
President Bush chose the
blackened remains of an Arizona forest as a backdrop to stress the need for
adoption of his "Healthy Forests Initiative" that would advance a program to
thin the overgrown and neglected lands that once were used and enjoyed by
millions. "We need to thin our forests in America," the President said to the
applause of more than 100 invited guests, which included public officials and
private landowners. "It's going to take a while to solve the problem, and we
better get after it now with good, sound forest-management practice," he
continued. The plan, that would initially tackle thinning projects in 20
million acres, has brought howls of protest from the usual suspects who are
"alarmed that the plan would eliminate many safeguards for wilderness areas and
wildlife by allowing cutting even in remote areas…" Two of the crowd of
Democrat presidential hopefuls threw in their jibes. Sen. Joseph Lieberman
called Bush's plan "an excuse for a timber industry giveaway," while John Kerry
said he thinks forests must be thinned but only near developed areas. Yet, one
who knows a thing or two about forests, Larry Humphrey, incident commander for
the Aspen fire said, "You've got to thin the entire forest. A one-mile buffer
is not going to do it." In the mean time, our forests continue to burn.
In Arizona, Bush Touts His Idea To
Thin Forests
House Sub-committee Eliminates Road "Enhancement"
The House Transportation
Appropriations Sub-committee voted to eliminate $620 million for road
"enhancement" projects in the 2004 transportation budget. Unsuspecting
taxpayers have been funding bike lanes and trails, sidewalks, roadway
beautification and historic preservation projects in all 50 states to the tune
of $2.42 billion since 1991. "The money is allocated through the Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), and more recently, through the
Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)." Dan Hatley, planning director
for the South Carolina Councils of Government, is hoping the House will restore
the cuts when they re-convene in September. Hatley said the Charleston area
used to receive from $400,000 to $500,000 under ISTEA and even more through
TEA-21 - $800,000 to $1 million annually. Biker groups are working overtime to
get the "free" money restored too. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy says the
program's demise would be "a devastating loss for communities that want safe
places to walk and bicycle." They hope their nationwide campaign will convince
Congress that bike trails "[are] vital to the quality of life in every urban,
suburban and rural community." Rep. Earnest Istook, (R-OK), chairman of the
Transportation sub-committee says the limited transportation funds should be
spent on essential projects instead of "projects that are nice to have but do
not contribute…to solving our highway congestion problems." The Bush
administration has recommended full funding for 2004.
Proposal Would Reduce
Money For Bike Lanes
State Trail And Trail
Mileage Counts
Trail, Bicycle Advocates
Vow To Fight Decision
Transportation
Enhancements Projects
Judge Orders Administration to Re-do Plan for Klamath
U.S. District Court Judge
Saundra Brown Armstrong of Oakland told federal authorities to go back to the
drawing board and re-do their 10-year irrigation plan for the Klamath Basin.
The judge said the plan violated the Endangered Species Act by not assuring
adequate water for endangered fish and cited the biological opinion of the
National Marine Fisheries Service, upon which the water allocation was based,
as being "arbitrary and capricious." Judge Armstrong said the Fisheries Service
opinion "relied improperly on the states of California and Oregon and private
parties to ensure that fish in the river received enough water over the long
term." The judge did not, however, order water deliveries to farmers stopped.
"We are glad to see operations can continue through this summer," said Blain
Rethmeier, spokesman for the Justice Department. Democrats accuse the
administration of siding with farmers and hint "the Klamath water policy
reflects a broader Republican agenda against the environment."
Klamath Water Plan Is
Rejected