Colorado’s Democratic US Senator Mark Udall has introduced a bill that would provide incentives for companies that harvest millions of trees killed by pine beetles for producing biofuel or biopower.
The bark beetle epidemic has left millions of acres of dead and dying trees–particularly in the West. Whole mountainsides are now covered with rust-red dead trees and that poses unprecedented safety hazards from wildfire or falling trees.
The National Forest Insect and Disease Emergency Act of 2009, co-sponsored by Senator Risch (R – ID), will provide additional tools and resources to the U.S. Forest Service to help address this serious natural disaster.
The bill addresses any and all insect and disease outbreaks in national forests. But it is in direct response to the epidemic of bark beetles in western states, Udall wrote on his blog.
Measures within the bill include:
- Establishes "insect emergency areas" defined by the Forest Service that have significant amounts of dead trees that increase chances for forest fires or a higher risk of falling dead trees. Within these areas, the Forest Service would prioritize treatment and compensate individuals for removing dead trees
- Provides incentives to convert this removed vegetation to biofuels
- Allows the Forest Service to expedite analysis of the treatment work that is urgently needed in areas that are full of dead trees.
- Authorizes an important tool to help communities respond to wildfire threats on nearby Forest Service land called the "good neighbor authority."
- Allows the Forest Service to contract with state foresters to reduce threats next to homes and private property, which have themselves performed treatments on their property. This program is currently allowed only in Colorado and Utah.
- Helps the Forest Service more effectively implement so-called "stewardship contracting." This tool allows the Forest Service to fashion agreements to perform treatment for trees–like insect-killed trees–that may not have high commercial value.
Some environmentalists are concerned that this bill may override longstanding environmental review policies. Read additional coverage by The Colorado Independent at the link below.
Loading...