Subject: Re: ESA hearings
Date: Apr 25 09:33:31 1995
From: Don Baccus - donb at Rational.COM


> Brenda Senturia

> There was a good turnout of pro-Endangered Species people in Vancouver
> at the House Natural Resources Committee hearings today. About 300 from
> each side were admitted to the hearing and there were at least 300 more
> pro-ESA people outside (including me, though I finally did get in for
> an hour late in the hearings....). 5 of 22 'selected' speakers were
> pro-ESA. It was interesting to watch the legislative 'process' being
> used to support a particular position. Incidently, no Democratic
> members of the Natural Resources Committee were there (boycotting the
> hearings?)

Yes, the Dems boycotted the hearings. Rep. Vento - long a friend
on timber issues - went to the first few but has refused to go to
any more due to the "the obvious intent of the committee to
re-write the ESA" (guess he's too polite to say "rape the ESA").

The others didn't even bother going to any of them.

Several of us had fun talking to timber workers. The fella I talked
to most strongly believes that we should harvest westside forests at
"below sustainable" level to make up for the "rape of the seventies
and eighties" - his words, not mine. He seemed unaware that industry
leaders are, of course, asking for much, much more harvest than
that. And he opposes the ESA. It was an interesting talk, as I
ended up feeling that he was fairly open minded (actually got him
to admit that the government ought to follow the law, even laws
he disagreed with, when we discussed environmental suits).

It is an interesting point of view: admitting the industry has
sinned greatly in the past, but expressing great trust in the
industry's willingness to change in the future.

On a personal level, there is probably much truth in that point of
view, but Big Timber ain't the little guy, and therein lies the
big problem. Trust Big Timber? Not me.

Where are the Wobblies when we need them? :)

Several other timber folk I chatted with seemed relatively open-minded.
Relative to the timber rally in downtown Portland I attended several
years ago, I should say. Another decade or so and who knows, they
may actually "get it".

Though by then our forests will have really "gotten it" - the shaft,
that is, if the current political climate remains in force.

-Don Baccus-