The Cottonwood decision and the environmental resistance to forest thinning fuels the raging fires in Canada and the U.S East Coast. As the Forest Service remains hostage to the left, and the smoky taste of congressional inaction lingers, the East Coasters are grasping for a breath.
The smoke tendrils have made their way to the East Coast of the United States, providing a bittersweet taste of the West's wildfire devastation. Perhaps the persistent haze will kindle a burning sense of urgency in Congress to overturn the catastrophic Cottonwood ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is impeding progress toward better forest management.
As smoke blankets the East Coast, its presence is expected to
linger for days, possibly longer if the Canadian flames burn unchecked. Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau conveniently blames climate change, using it as a handy
scapegoat, disguising the underlying inadequacies of government policies that
worsen the havoc inflicted by natural disasters.
Fires that have long destroyed Canada's boreal woods, ornamented
with conifers, birch, and poplar, have become less frequent over the years,
like a smokescreen. However, the growing stockpile of timber fuel has ignited
the possibility of a record-breaking year in terms of acres burned.
Environmentalists, acting as reluctant firemen, have fought critical forest
thinning, adding fuel to the flames of these disastrous fires.
Legislative Lamentations
For thousands of years, fires have basically "danced" through Canada's boreal forests, providing a blazing stage. While the number of fires has been decreasing since the early 1990s, the year 2020 saw the fewest infernos in three decades. Yet, beneath the surface, the acreage burned continues to spread like a raging wildfire, fed by an accumulation of timber ready to catch fire. As the year progresses, it threatens to break records and roast the land.
The main foe fueling the fires in the fiery battleground of Canada
and the United States is environmentalists' opposition to reducing overgrown
woods. While the government has become more cognizant of forest management
issues, employees with the US Forest Service are still constrained by the
Cottonwood judgment from 2015. This order, like a smoky haze, requires the EPA
to cooperate with other entities on land management plans whenever a new
endangered species is identified or a "critical habitat" is declared.
With over 1,300 species on the verge of extinction, environmental
advocacy groups actively push for new designations, burying forest officials in
paperwork and delaying critical management initiatives. This collision of
opinions even sparks disagreements inside the judicial system, as the Tenth
Circuit judicial of Appeals disagrees with Cottonwood's criteria. As a result,
the Forest Service is pulled between various management systems, resulting in a
perplexing dance among Ninth Circuit states.
While a temporary solution was introduced in the form of a 2018
appropriations bill provision that provided a five-year exemption from
Cottonwood's consultation requirement, this reprieve evaporated with the
approach of spring. The Forest Service becomes a hostage to the left once more,
mired in a maze of bureaucracy and legal entanglements. Sens. Steve Daines, Jon
Tester, James Risch, Mike Crapo, and Angus King have banded together to support
legislation to reverse Cottonwood's negative consequences. Their passionate
messages to President Biden emphasize how this judgement fosters frequent
litigation, hinders essential animal habitat and forestry projects, and diverts
valuable federal resources away from critical conservation efforts.
The rider's expiration has now put a shadow over more than 100
forest plans, necessitating a new round of consultation. While there was a
glimmer of light in the form of a bipartisan Senate remedy passing the Energy
and Natural Resources Committee, the White House's pleas were met with the
sound of a falling tree in the vast forest. Members of Congress from Western
states, however, are all too familiar with this shroud of uncertainty as smoke
fills the halls of power in Washington, D.C. In this uncertain picture, there
is a glimmer of hope that it will serve as a wake-up call for President Biden
to the fundamental underlying problem.
The flames that lick the sky hold a figurative mirror in the conflict
between nature's fury and human intervention, showing the need for rapid and
decisive response. Will Congress embrace the opportunity to overrule
Cottonwood's verdict while smoke signals dance on the horizon, or will the
flames rage on, consuming the forests we cherish? Only time will tell if the
embers of change will light a road to better forest management.
The fate of our woods is at stake at this vital juncture. Once
again, the flames are a metaphor for the urgency we face, compelling us to act
quickly to prevent greater devastation. The road ahead is obvious, and the
moment to take action is now. Congress must seize the opportunity to overrule
Cottonwood's decision, put out the opposition fires, and usher in a new era of
responsible forest management. The smoke signals are reaching out for our
attention. Let us take their message to heart and save the natural treasures
that tie us to the world.
Notes
Downey, H. (2022, August 30). The Cottonwood
Fix Means a Return to Healthy Forests. Retrieved from Frontier Institute:
https://frontierinstitute.org/the-cottonwood-fix-means-a-return-to-healthy-forests/
Montana Public Radio. (2017, October 24). Senators
Draft Legislation To Reverse 'Cottonwood Decision'. Retrieved from
https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2017-10-24/senators-draft-legislation-to-reverse-cottonwood-decision
Voice of America. (2023, June 8). US East
Coast Continues to Grapple with Wildfire Smoke Billowing from Canada.
Retrieved from VOA News: https://www.voanews.com/a/us-east-coast-continues-to-grapple-with-wildfire-smoke-billowing-from-canada-/7129265.html
Wall Street Journal. (2023, June 8). A Smoke
Signal on Forest-Fire Management. Retrieved from
https://www.wsj.com/articles/forest-fires-cottonwood-decision-ninth-circuit-forest-management-f3ae0926?mod=opinion_lead_pos3
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