According to an update in the Huffington Post: “Lee hasn’t released the details of his new draft, but he said Monday that it would not include sales of U.S. Forest Service land and would only include sales of public land ‘WITHIN 5 MILES of population centers.’”
But, even if the Tongass won’t be up for sale through the budget reconciliation bill, we’re not out of the woods yet because USDA Secretary Rollins announced plans to rescind Roadless, not just on the Tongass, but across the entire United States. Whether it’s up for sale or just open for logging, large swaths of the Tongass are at risk.
We don’t know yet if they plan to go through a public process or if it’ll be a sort of “I DECLARE ROADLESS RESCISSION!” situation.
You know we’ll be taking action either way and we’ll keep you updated on what you can do to help.
Right now, something each of us can do is contact our Senators and Representatives in support of the Roadless Area Conservation Act bills to hopefully protect Roadless areas through legislation.
It’s sometimes hard to see the impact of grassroots advocacy, especially right now when there seems to be a new, worthy fight every day, but your efforts do make a difference. When we submitted a FOIA request to view all comments submitted to the US Forest Service during the Roadless public comment period 2020, we found that 96% supported Roadless protections — protecting the Tongass is what Southeast Alaskans and people who care about the region want.
Amid the chaos — and the chaos is intentional — remember: when we act together, we make good things happen together. When you become a member, you demonstrate that SEACC represents thousands of voices. We’re here in D.C. now to represent those voices and our Southeast Alaska communities — and the offices we’re visiting are taking note.
