Bill Passes To Let State Co-Run Federal Forests

The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation on Monday that would give the state authority to co-manage federal forest lands if Congress ever gives it the chance.

“If it’s done nothing more, it’s increased and focused the debate on the issue, and the issue is more timber has to be cut on timber grounds,” Democrat Bruce Sweeney of Lewiston said. “This is about jobs.”

The bill, sent to the House on a 31-4 vote, essentially duplicates existing provisions of state law. But Republican Judi Danielson of Council maintained that “as the legislative branch, we’re giving some direction to our state Land Board.”

Supporters argued that the state, with its exceptional record of maximizing financial return from resources on its lands while still protecting the environment, can do a significantly better job of overseeing federal forests.

Critics counter, however, that state management of federal lands would fall on its face as soon as some extraordinary event occurred and already stretched state revenues would fall far short of handling matters.

They point to the immediate plea of Republican state officials for disaster assistance from the Democratic Clinton administration following this month’s severe flooding in northern Idaho.

The devastating wildfires that swept through federal forests in 1994 were another point. The state was responsible for only a fraction of the cost of fighting those fires and still had to come up with $8 million.

Democratic Sen. Mary Lou Reed of Coeur d’Alene called the legislation a hollow promise that “raises false hopes in economically depressed timber communities” because the real changes need to be made by Congress - something both sides conceded was not imminent.

And supporter John Hansen, R-Idaho Falls, pointed out that the bill will in no way let the Land Board get at the root of the federal land management problem. He referred to the morass of federal laws and regulations that have reduced cuts on major Idaho forests like the Nez Perce and Clearwater from 100 million to nearly 200 million board feet a year to just a handful of millions the past two years.

“The likelihood of anything taking place is pretty remote,” Hansen said.

But Mark Solomon, former president of the Idaho Conservation League, called the legislation a political payoff by lawmakers to timber companies so more logs could be cut from what he claimed were already over-logged forests.

And Solomon said Republican U.S. Sen. Larry Craig was out to make sure that happened.

But Craig spokesman Bryan Wilkes said last week that while the senator has expressed support for the general concept of co-management, he has not endorsed any specific legislation and has no intention of introducing federal legislation to permit state management this year.

Joining Reed in opposing the bill were Democrats Sue Reents of Boise, Tim Tucker of Porthill and Clint Stennett of Ketchum.