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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Otter tells Congress state could improve on federal forest management

Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says giving Idaho management control of some federal land in the state would make forests healthier and potentially reduce the size and intensity of wildfires. Otter testified Tuesday in Washington D.C., urging a House subcommittee to create a pilot project giving the state control over 2 million of the more than 20 million acres of national forest in Idaho. Otter said the land would be managed by a trust board focused on increasing revenue and improving management. The hearing hosted by the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/Y13KNj ) the committee is looking at forest trust programs in 22 states. Republican Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop of Utah argued that it's time for a paradigm shift for national forests.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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