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"Charter Forests" As a practical measure to combat "analysis paralysis" in national forest management, and in the spirit of the President's campaign theme of "local control," in early February the Bush administration proposed that Congress consider authorizing a new category of federal forest land, the "charter forest," that would call for certain national forests, or portions of them, to be overseen by local trusts rather than by the Forest Service, somewhat in the manner of "charter schools." Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey has proposed the designation of one or two national forests as "case studies" to see whether the concept effectively removed some of the "procedural bottlenecks" that currently inhibit project implementation. Green groups generally opposed the proposal, reminding anyone who would listen that Undersecretary Rey is "a former timber industry lobbyist" and wondering openly, "will charter forests become a magnet for clearcuts?" Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Forests, sounded a similar alarm: "I am not going to support anything that is a glide past environmental laws and public involvement." Return to Public Policy Archive Forest Resources Association
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