A new issue is threatening family forest owners with burdensome regulations of their forest roads. Because of a recent court ruling in the Northwest, Tree Farmers in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Arizona, and Nevada will have to obtain Clean Water Act permits for the operation and maintenance of their roads.
Right now, the court ruling only applies to specific states in the Northwest. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could decide to implement this court ruling across the country, subjecting family forest owners everywhere to the same permitting requirements.
Up to this point, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not required family forest owners to get Clean Water Act permits because forest roads have been considered nonpoint sources of pollution. Depending on the state, forest owners demonstrate their commitment to keeping water clean with either voluntary or required Best Management Practices (BMP’s). The regulation is especially unnecessary and burdensome for certified Tree Farmers, who are required to implement BMP’s and are audited for their compliance with BMPs.
Thankfully, Congress is stepping up to take action. On Thursday, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jim Risch (R-ID) and Mark Begich (D-AK) and Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-3-WA), Kurt Schrader (D-5-OR), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Congressman Mike Michaud (D-ME), Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) introduced S. 1369/H.R. 2541,1he Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act. If passed, the bill would reaffirm forestry’s nonpoint source status and protect forest owners from having to obtain Clean Water Act permits for their forest roads.
Please write to your Senators and Representatives today! Ask them to support H.R. 2541/S.1369 and protect family forest owners from additional regulation of forest roads. Encourage your members of Congress to support voluntary and incentive based approaches to protecting water quality, such as the American Tree Farm System.
To find out what this ruling means for you, check out our Clean Water Act fact sheet. We have also created a list of talking points to use when talking with your Representatives. You may also write to your Senators and House members on our website, www.familyforestaction.org.
UPDATE: Congress is stepping up to take action. The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee recently introduced its fiscal year 2012 Appropriations bill and included a “policy rider” that would negate the 9th Circuit decision—and reaffirm forestry’s “nonpoint source” status under the Clean Water Act. AFF and the American Tree Farm System strongly support maintaining forestry’s nonpoint source status, because we support voluntary and incentive based approaches to protecting water quality. We know that these approaches—especially the use of best management practices to maintain and improve water quality in forests, are effective in protecting and improving water quality. Certified Tree Farmers are required to implement BMPs and are audited for their compliance with BMPs, so especially for Tree Farmers, regulation is an unnecessary and added burden.
Estate Tax webinar available!
Advocacy tools available from the American Forest Foundation Grasstops Network:
- Advocacy Training Powerpoint: Feel free to use and edit this powerpoint as you see fit. It's great for Tree Farm Committee meetings, association meetings, woodland owner meetings--among others. Help us recruit some new advocates!
- Advocacy Postcard: Hand these out at your next big event and get more Tree Farmers excited about our issues! Before your next meeting, shoot us an email, and we'll send you some in the mail.
- Share Your Story Platforms: Share your story publicly on the ATFS website or send us a private message (and picture!) explaining why YOU are conerned with the estate tax. How will it impact your family, kids, and grandkids?
- Informational Materials: As always, we'll keep you up-to-date with the most recent issue briefs to pass along to your Congressional members.
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