Bryan wants to slow federal subsidies to timber cutting program

Friday, July 23, 1999 | 12:08 p.m.

"The time has come to reign in the forest Service's run-away, below-cost timber program that is not only fiscally irresponsible but environmentally damaging," he said.

Bryan said the program subsidizes the timber industry and that the money would be better used in environmental programs that were cut by the Interior appropriations subcommittee.

Bryan's amendment would take $20 million of the $34 million in the timber sale management program and put it into road maintenance, fish and wildlife habitat management and the threatened, endangered species habitat management program.

"It simply funds the program at the level requested by the Forest Service while sending a message to the timber industry that if they want to continue logging in our national forests, they should pay their own way," he said.

"The American taxpayer should not be subsidizing these companies whose activities cause environmental degradation in our national forests. This is an opportunity to send a signal that we are no longer going to continue providing corporate welfare to the timber industry."