Burghard Opposes Sale of Mark Twain National Forest
Posted on March 13, 2006 at 02:13:04 PM EST
www.missourileadership.com

Duane Burghard, candidate for the US House in Missouri's 9th Congressional District, sent comments today to the US Forest Service opposing the proposed sale of the Mark Twain National Forest. Citing concern for Missouri's hunters, hikers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts, Burghard called the sale a case of government taking land away from Missouri citizens, denying us access to land that is currently ours. Burghard also opposes the sale because schools in other states would receive a disproportionate amount of the money. "The interests of Missourians were being ignored," Burghard stated, "and that's a big reason why I'm running for Congress."

President Bush has proposed selling 21,566 acres of the Mark Twain National Forest to raise money for rural school districts, yet under the Bush plan Missouri would receive only a small portion of the money; schools in California, Oregon and Washington would receive the most funding. As a result, Missourians would lose access to their forest and schools in other states would get most of the money. "I just don't understand," said Burghard, "why would President Bush even propose punishing Missourians like this?"

"There are good ways to manage our forests and there are bad ways," commented Burghard, "and President Bush's entire approach to safe-guarding our forests has always been to benefit large logging corporations and at the expense of the rights of citizens to use that land." He also noted that the Rural School and Community Self-Determination Act is inherently flawed because funding for schools in the Pacific Northwest is made dependent upon poor logging practices. "The approach is short-sighted, simplistic and will not solve the long-term needs of either school funding or sustainable forestry."

What may be most confusing is that Representative Hulshof took so long share his thoughts on the proposed sale. "I'm grateful that Representative Hulshof has finally joined those of us who opposed the sale from the beginning," declared Burghard. Hulshof may be trying to get voters to forget his long record of voting against the environment and public health, which is why the League of Conservation Voters gave him a zero rating in 2005. Unlike Hulshof, Burghard wasted little time understanding the negative impacts to Missourians. Said Burghard, "This was a simple decision to make. It's bad for Missourians, and I oppose it."

This story can be found online at Missouri Leadership.