Dear Representative Inslee,

Taxpayers for Common Sense, a non-partisan budget watchdog organization, supports your funding limitation amendment to the FY04 Interior Appropriations bill (H.R. 2691) that would limit road building in specifically designated areas of our national forest system.

Our nation now faces a $450 billion deficit for FY04. At the same time, the U.S. Forest Service is grappling with an estimated $10 billion system-wide backlog for road and bridge maintenance and capitol improvement needs. The Forest Service should adequately address the needs of its current road infrastructure before burdening taxpayers with the costs of building new roads.

Currently, only 20 percent of all Forest Service roads are available to passenger car use, yet taxpayers foot the bill for all maintenance and construction of national forest road infrastructure. Limiting areas of national forests where road building can occur will help to limit the future costs of road system maintenance, and will allow the Forest Service to better address the needs of roads already in the national forest road system.

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects over 58 million acres from unrestrained road building efforts, saves taxpayers from additional road building and maintenance costs, and still provides for road construction to address significant threats such as wildfire.

Taxpayers for Common Sense strongly supports this important amendment to the FY04 Interior Appropriations bill. We stand ready to work with you and your colleagues to secure its expeditious passage.

Sincerely,

Jill Lancelot

President and Co-Founder