Reject HR 471
Dear editor at Beacon Hill Times,
I am a senior citizen who has long been concerned about environmental issues. Before climate change was known as a science it was evident that the environment was coming under severe threat: land, sea and air. The Democratic Party has done some but not enough. The GOP is outright intending to remove every existing protection on environment, wildlife species, pollinators birds and fish. I believe we must do everything in our power to protect the environment to stop polluters, and to prevent corporate interests from exploiting our public lands for profit. These protections should be the purview of the government. Instead we citizens must now battle with our government. Once lost the environment can never be replaced. It should not be given to oligarchs and sold to corporations.
Please reject HR 471 “Fix Our Forests Act” for multiple reasons this Bill is a problem. The “Strategy to increase livestock grazing” will certainly not reduce risk of wildfires; the claim is absurd on its face. Automatically approving “vegetation cutting and removal” by electric utilities, and certain removal of “hazard trees,” and sale of timber should be examined by conservation experts and not left up to the utilities.
Moreover, this legislation is written in a language so obscure as to virtually allow any abuse of protected land by the federal government. Corporate entities must not be allowed to have free access to our public lands. Sincerely,
Stacy Diamond