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House votes to stop wasteful spending in Tongass National Forest
In June, Congress approved an amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill. The amendment stops taxpayer subsidies from being used to fund the construction of roads in the Tongass National Forest.
Brief Summary
A snapshot of this country’s largest national forest would show 200-foot-tall ancient spruce and hemlock creating a moss-dripped canopy. The earth’s largest, intact coastal temperate rainforest, the Tongass National Forest has immeasurable ecological value, including ancient forests containing spruce, hemlock and yellow and red cedar. It is currently the only forest with roadless areas not protected by the 2001 Roadless Rule.
During the past decade, the Forest Service has built up a tremendous backlog in maintaining the roads that already exist in the Tongass National Forest. Building new roads, when there is not enough money to maintain the old ones, is a waste of taxpayer’s money. The House of Representatives has voted three times to cut off funding for harmful road-building in the Tongass.
