North Fork Preservation Association » Forest Jobs and Recreation Act

Tester offers forest bill changes

nfpa — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:36:14 +0000

From today’s Flathead Beacon . . .

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester released some changes Thursday to his logging and wilderness bill, beating back a Washington, D.C.-based rewrite of the carefully crafted Montana compromise.

Read the full article . . .

Tester Calls Forest Bill Changes ‘Dead on Arrival’

nfpa — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:16:41 +0000

From last Wednesday’s Flathead Beacon . . .

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has dismissed a proposed rewrite of his forest bill as “dead on arrival,” and promised to publicly post his counteroffer that is expected next week.

Tester’s bill would create new wilderness in parts of Montana, while increasing logging requirements and establishing permanent recreation areas.

A Senate committee recently came up with its own version that does away with the logging and other mandates that are central to a deal crafted by a group of Montana loggers, environmentalists and others.

“People assume it’s mine, and its not because it does not have those components in there,” Tester said of the new draft. “It’s dead on arrival, as far as I am concerned.”

Read the full article . . .

Tester announces changes to “wilderness bill”

nfpa — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:06:48 +0000

If you’ve been following the progress of Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, this is fairly interesting.

From today’s Missoulian . . .

Reacting to both criticism and constructive advice, Sen. Jon Tester revealed a thick list of changes to his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act during a visit to Missoula on Friday.

In all, Tester proposed 21 changes to S. 1470…

Read the entire article . . .

Tester’s “wilderness bill” far from a sure thing

nfpa — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:30:30 +0000

Today’s Missoulian has a pretty good status report — with video, no less – on Senator Jon Tester’s proposed Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

Here’s the lead-in . . .

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act awaits committee action in Washington, D.C., but back home his fellow Montanans are busy pushing and pulling at the proposed wilderness set-asides and logging mandates.

Read the entire article . . .

Practical politics: Rehberg stance on Tester’s “wilderness bill” a concern

nfpa — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:16:29 +0000

Watching Senator Jon Tester’s “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” make its way through the system is a real lesson in practical politics. It made it past the initial, more or less pro forma hearings in front of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Now, Congressman Denny Rehberg is getting into the act with a series of “listening sessions” around Montana.

An AP article by Matthew Brown posted today offers a good overview of the situation with Rehberg and some interesting analysis. Here’s the money quote:

As Rehberg tours the state this week to gauge public support for the measure, observers say where the Republican comes down could either help seal Tester’s biggest legislative achievement since his 2006 election — or put up a major roadblock to the bill’s success.

Read the entire article . . .

Congressman Rehberg to hold “listening sessions” on Tester’s wilderness proposal

nfpa — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:29:56 +0000

Congressman Denny Rehberg is still testing the waters when it comes to taking a position on Senator Jon Tester’s “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.” Rehberg has lined up five “listening sessions” on the proposal at various sites around Montana.

Read the press release for details.

Obama administration voices concerns about Tester’s wilderness bill

nfpa — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:34:42 +0000

An AP article posted in today’s Missoulian summarizes some of the concerns with Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act expressed by Agriculture Undersecretary Harris Sherman during today’s hearings on the bill. (Sherman is the Forest Service’s boss.) This is one of those read-between-the-lines articles, not to be taken entirely at face value. Nevertheless, it has some useful information.

Here’s the lead-in . . .

The Obama administration said Thursday it has several concerns about Sen. Jon Tester’s plan to create more wilderness and mandate more logging in Montana’s national forests.

Schweitzer Backs Tester’s Wilderness Bill

nfpa — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:12:41 +0000

From today’s Flathead Beacon . . .

The governor says he is backing U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s plan to both create more wilderness and mandate more logging.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, submitted the testimony in advance of Thursday’s hearing on the bill in the U.S. Senate. He says it will create good jobs with more logging.

New York Times posts coverage on upcoming “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” hearings

nfpa — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:03:07 +0000

Yesterday’s New York Times carried coverage, with a minimum of snark, on Senator Jon Tester’s proposed “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” bill. The article includes a pretty good discussion of the issues likely to be covered during the upcoming hearings on the bill, which are scheduled for this Thursday.

Trying to satisfy everyone from wilderness advocates to timber companies, Sen. Jon Tester has proposed a new model for managing national forests.

The Democrat’s controversial proposal, which he has dubbed the “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” to emphasize its economic aspects rather than its wilderness components, would guide how federal agencies manage large swaths of land in his home state of Montana.

Read the entire article . . .

Tester wilderness bill to get Senate hearing soon

nfpa — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:29:41 +0000

From yesterday’s Missoulan . . .

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s plan to both create more wilderness and mandate more logging is going to get a Senate hearing.

The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests will look at the “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” on Dec. 17.

Read the entire article . . .