Threats to Forests - Politics (capital "P")

Politics

(Capital “P”)

In the past, congress has passed some far-sighted, far-reaching, science based laws to guide the protection and use of our natural resources:  The Organic Act of 1897; The Multiple Use, Sustained Yield Act; The Wilderness Act; National Environmental Policy Act; Resources Planning Act; Clean Air, Clean Water Acts; Threatened and Endangered Species Act; National Forest Management Act and there are others all with lofty goals and forward looking direction. 

However, the good laws are less than half the story.  Congress people are continually sponsoring and passing short sighted forest-affecting laws to benefit some special interest group with no consideration, or understanding, of long-term effects, or the history of the situation.  Too many laws are no more than a response to gain a few political points and dollars for the next campaign.  Many of these laws contradict laws already in effect.  Yet, the natural resource agencies responsible for managing the resources are responsible for following all the laws, even the foolish and corrupting ones.  Congress has created such a tangled web of contradictions and minutia details, many contrary to good science and common sense, there is no way for agencies to avoid lawsuits against almost any action they may take.  The dollar costs and negative effects of irresponsible lawmaking are enormous.

Senators and Representatives could pay attention to what sciences say about the long-term needs of our natural resources, they could be more concerned about the quality-of-life for future generations of people and forests, but short-term money gains and political advantage, all to often, drive poor legislation.  One of the worst examples of this is the foolish and destructive effort, from time to time, to transfer some or all of our national public lands to state or local governments, who will not be able to afford the expenses and ultimately sell the land to the private ownership for quick profits embedded in the water rights or some other resource the land holds.  This tired old tactic would be horribly destructive to the American people and the American land.  That kind of short-sightedness needs to change, our elected representatives need to practice - no, perfect (the verb, bring to perfection) - statesmanship.  We voters need to elect representatives that are worthy of America.  

As Wallace Stegner wrote, “then it (America) has a a chance to create a society to match its scenery.” (Wallace Stegner, The Sound of Mountain Water, pge 38)