Bush, the oppositie of Teddy Roosevelt...
<< from an email. Wish I could remember who use to say he was like Teddy... not even close in almost every way, particularly on the environment >>
Like many Americans, I am greatly disturbed by the President’s renewed efforts to sell 273,000 acres of national forest lands, his shortsighted solution to secure funding for rural schools. This proposal would strike at the heart of California’s natural heritage, since more than 65,000 acres – 24 percent of all lands that would be sold – are in California.
A review of these California lands shows that roadless areas and wild and scenic rivers would be put up for sale – hardly mere “parcels” of land that do not meet our Forest Service “needs,” as the Department of Agriculture has claimed.
I believe we can find alternative ways to fund our rural schools while continuing to preserve our public lands. That is why I am an original co-sponsor of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Reauthorization Act of 2007 (S.380). This bill would provide funding to rural forest counties to help finance schools and roads - without having to sell off any federal forest land. I am pleased that the Senate recently passed similar legislation as an amendment to the 2007 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. This amendment would provide about $5 billion for rural schools over the next five years, including $283 million for California’s rural counties. Based on this success, I am confident that we can pass S.380 in the 110th Congress.
Creating a misleading choice between our priceless natural heritage and our rural public schools is irresponsible, and the Bush Administration is clearly derelict in its duty to be a sound steward of our national lands. I will do everything I can to see that California’s precious national forests are protected as a resource for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Sara 
"I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell." - Harry Truman
