Great show. I have a couple points. Your guest mentioned that the underlying authority for the NEPA streamlining is found in the IIJA (Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act). Indeed, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins recent memo points to the IIJA as her authority. A critical point here is political. The IIJA was pushed hard by politicians and voters on the left. So, they should support the outcomes of the IIJA - right?... Now, we have a Forest Service using the IIJA forestry provisions lawfully, and the folks on the left are freaking out. That’s hypocrisy. Furthermore, Biden’s USFS Chief Randy Moore issued a memo in 2023 that pushed policies that are strikingly similar to the current Trump admin Forest policies, Sec Rollins memo is almost like cut and late from Moores. Where were the cries of agony from the left media then? Another point here is that the IIJA provisions as well as the current policy are tiered off the wildfire crisis strategy - which is a forest service product from the Biden era that is a strongly science based and ecologically focused policy - another thing the left should celebrate. Even the scary map that shows 59% of the USFS land “open for logging” is a byproduct of the prioritization scheme established in the wildfire crisis strategy. Another point on the 59% open to logging claim: as you two mentioned, wilderness areas are still closed to logging. Aside from that, most of these acres were already open to logging. This is where the media is being extremely dishonest and I think that’s an expression of their disdain for Trump and their willingness to lie to an ignorant public when it’s politically convenient. Regarding the 25% increase in production: my deputy district ranger told me last week that they need to produce a five year plan to increase production over five years. They don’t need to move 25% more wood NOW, they need to make a five year plan. Big difference. Furthermore, if you look at the FACTS data for acres harvested, we already saw an increase in production under Biden (following a decrease under Trump term 1), so, USFS is already on a trend of moving more wood. Keep the trend going on current trajectory, and you have 25% right there. My final take on this: not much will change. USFS is a supertanker that changes direction very slowly and in small increments, and the shift between administrations is more talk and posturing than it is substance.
I agree that it's more talk and posturing than anything. The reason people get up in arms is because the Trump Administration postures their moves for logging and drilling to be destructive, like how the Bears Ears in Utah was being pushed as a drilling site during the first Trump Administration. It makes a lot more talk and divisiveness if you make one side defensive over once-protected areas. But it also makes conservationists think that any Trump logging movement is going to be destructive.
In reality, logging operations will be adjusted just slightly more than before, because the FS has always been a logging operations agency, not a preservation agency. It just makes conservatives happy to hear the posturing.
Yeah totally. And also the same foresters will be laying out sales, and under NEPA decisions often from years ago which probably have decent environmental protections built in.
So the sky isn't falling......
Sure doesn't seem that way.
Great show. I have a couple points. Your guest mentioned that the underlying authority for the NEPA streamlining is found in the IIJA (Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act). Indeed, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins recent memo points to the IIJA as her authority. A critical point here is political. The IIJA was pushed hard by politicians and voters on the left. So, they should support the outcomes of the IIJA - right?... Now, we have a Forest Service using the IIJA forestry provisions lawfully, and the folks on the left are freaking out. That’s hypocrisy. Furthermore, Biden’s USFS Chief Randy Moore issued a memo in 2023 that pushed policies that are strikingly similar to the current Trump admin Forest policies, Sec Rollins memo is almost like cut and late from Moores. Where were the cries of agony from the left media then? Another point here is that the IIJA provisions as well as the current policy are tiered off the wildfire crisis strategy - which is a forest service product from the Biden era that is a strongly science based and ecologically focused policy - another thing the left should celebrate. Even the scary map that shows 59% of the USFS land “open for logging” is a byproduct of the prioritization scheme established in the wildfire crisis strategy. Another point on the 59% open to logging claim: as you two mentioned, wilderness areas are still closed to logging. Aside from that, most of these acres were already open to logging. This is where the media is being extremely dishonest and I think that’s an expression of their disdain for Trump and their willingness to lie to an ignorant public when it’s politically convenient. Regarding the 25% increase in production: my deputy district ranger told me last week that they need to produce a five year plan to increase production over five years. They don’t need to move 25% more wood NOW, they need to make a five year plan. Big difference. Furthermore, if you look at the FACTS data for acres harvested, we already saw an increase in production under Biden (following a decrease under Trump term 1), so, USFS is already on a trend of moving more wood. Keep the trend going on current trajectory, and you have 25% right there. My final take on this: not much will change. USFS is a supertanker that changes direction very slowly and in small increments, and the shift between administrations is more talk and posturing than it is substance.
I agree that it's more talk and posturing than anything. The reason people get up in arms is because the Trump Administration postures their moves for logging and drilling to be destructive, like how the Bears Ears in Utah was being pushed as a drilling site during the first Trump Administration. It makes a lot more talk and divisiveness if you make one side defensive over once-protected areas. But it also makes conservationists think that any Trump logging movement is going to be destructive.
In reality, logging operations will be adjusted just slightly more than before, because the FS has always been a logging operations agency, not a preservation agency. It just makes conservatives happy to hear the posturing.
Yeah totally. And also the same foresters will be laying out sales, and under NEPA decisions often from years ago which probably have decent environmental protections built in.