Dear Representative:
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action (TCS Action), a non-partisan, budget watchdog group, opposes H.R. 1904, the so-called "Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003." This legislation contains vague language that does little to prioritize limited taxpayer resources for fire prevention, and proposes $125 million in new subsidies for biomass energy. We urge you to vote against this bill.
TCS Action recognizes that hazardous fuels reduction efforts can decrease the need for costly fire suppression. However, with a massive deficit looming, tight limitations on federal spending, and a history of substantial taxpayer subsidies to the timber and energy industries, it is imperative that fire prevention efforts be targeted in areas where fire damage is most costly to taxpayers - near interface homes and communities - and not be used as a cover for further corporate handouts.
Ambiguous language in H.R. 1904 allows for broad and potentially conflicting interpretation of a number of provisions in the bill, and does little to prioritize hazardous fuels reduction expenditures. By failing to set realistic spending priorities for fire prevention, this bill could leave taxpayers vulnerable to a considerable financial burden, and leaves an open door for abuse of this authority by the timber industry and their friends in Congress and the administration.
The goal of any fire legislation should be to minimize the loss of human life and protect communities at greatest risk of fire. Given the tight budget scenario projected over the next decade, it is impetrative that the undisputed need for fire prevention and community protection not be used for political gain, or industry profiteering. We again urge you to vote against H.R. 1904 because of its failure to effectively target limited taxpayer resources toward the protection of communities at the greatest risk of fire. Please contact Shannon Collier at 546-8500 x127 or shannon@taxpayer.net for more information.
Sincerely,
Jill Lancelot
President and Co-Founder
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