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Zinke Forest Bill Requires Cash Bonds to Sue National Forest Collaboration Incentive Act would reduce timber-sale analysis
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BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke introduced leg- islation last week that would require liti- gants who challenge Forest Service tim- ber sales to post cash bonds along with their lawsuits, while also reducing the amount of requisite timber-sale analysis.
Zinke, a freshman Republican con- gressman from Whitefish, said the for- est management reform measure is needed to prevent unnecessary lawsuits that derail timber projects, or “predatory litigation,” and will also improve forest health and prevent wildfires.
Dubbed the “National Forest Col- laboration Incentive Act,” or H.R. 2644, which Zinke introduced June 3 in the U.S. House of Representatives, the bill would require environmental groups and other litigants to post a bond before ini- tiating legal challenges, simplify collab- orative forest projects to yes-or-no anal- yses and allow state governments to fund national forest wildfire prevention work.
“The National Forest Collaboration Incentive Act of 2015, will help address the two leading threats against our for- ests, predatory litigation and wildfires, without adding new regulations to com- munities and loggers or adding costs to taxpayers,” Zinke said in a written state- ment. “By implementing common sense reforms to encourage collaboration on projects and discourage out of state spe- cial interests from waging war on Mon- tana foresting communities, I am con- fident Montana can rebuild our timber industry and conserve our forests for generations to come.”
In a press release announcing the measure, Zinke said the reform bill is supported by industry and wildlife
A dangle head processor strips felled trees of their limbs and cuts them into sections at a trimming project on state land near Echo Lake. BEACON FILE PHOTO
What does it mean to you?
organizations alike, citing the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Mon- tana Loggers Association.
“Responsible forest stewardship in Montana is too important to leave to judi- cial digression,” Montana Logging Asso- ciation executive director Keith Olson said in a statement. “Congressman Zin- ke’s bill includes common-sense reforms that strengthen collaborative projects against out-of-state litigants and helps protect our forests from wildfires.”
Zinke said the bill allows the state to contribute to a revolving fund that the Forest Service can use to reduce wild- fire threats.
But Alliance for the Wild Rockies director Michael Garrity, whose group is responsible for many of the lawsuits
Zinke takes aim at, said the bill is anath- ema to the spirit of the checks and bal- ances Congress built into land manage- ment acts.
“When Congress enacted these laws like the National Forest Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, they put in a citizen enforce- ment division knowing that there are no police to enforce federal law. What Zinke is essentially saying is we are going to make it a lot easier for the government to break the law,” Garrity said. “I’d also like to remind people that the First Amend- ment gives every American the right to challenge government decisions. So if you require people to post a bond, that means only rich people can sue.”
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Shelter Addition Receives $50,000 Boost Construction on the animal shelter’s new operatory addition to begin this month
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
BY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
The Flathead County Animal Shelter got a major boost for its new surgery addi- tion with a $50,000 grant from a national animal advocacy group.
The American Society for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) do- nated the $50,000 as part of its Northern Tier Shelter Initiative Grants program, which provide funding to qualified shel- ters in Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, Mon- tana, North Dakota and Washington.
On May 26, the Flathead County Com- mission opened the bids for the animal
shelter’s new operatory addition, wherein the shelter’s medical staff can perform more and better surgeries for the cats and dogs at the shelter.
Currently, the shelter uses an adjacent trailer for its veterinary needs, and the new operatory suite will be added on to the back of the shelter. The ASPCA grant will cover the cost of some of the surgical equipment for the new space.
The commission was scheduled on June 9 to sign a contract with Meredith Construction, which bid $190,000 for the addition project. Meredith Construction was the only company to enter a bid for
the expansion.
Shelter director Cliff Bennett
said construction should start at the end of the month.
The animal shelter recently finished two years worth of work on other expan- sions, including a new area just for cats and another area just for small dogs. Other recent construction projects at the shelter have included new kennels and living space for canine inhabitants, as well as air filtration systems to ward off sickness.
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JUNE 10, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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