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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release March 29, 2005 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600 |
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| SALAZAR RELEASES LETTER FROM USDA UNDERSECRETARY REY REGARDING DECISION TO OVERTURN PORTIONS OF WHITE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST PLAN DESPITE YEARS OF PUBLIC INPUT WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Ken Salazar released a letter he received earlier on Monday from Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment Mark Rey. Undersecretary Rey’s letter, dated March 11, 2005 but received in Salazar’s office on the 28th, came in response to a February 25, 2005 letter from Salazar to Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns requesting a briefing on the USDA’s White River National Forest management plan, which overrode several aspects of the 2002 Revised Plan for the Forest despite five years of public planning and the input of 14,000 individuals as well as the opinions of Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologists. On March 2, Senator Salazar received his briefing from Deputy Undersecretary David Tenny and Regional Forester Rick Cables, during which Tenny and Cables agreed to meet in Colorado to explain to Colorado citizens why the USDA exercised a rarely-used procedure to overturn years of local input reflected in the 2002 Revised Plan. Salazar also requested a letter from Tenny and Cables explaining the implications of Tenny’s decision to override the 2002 plan, which Salazar said he would release to Coloradans. Salazar said of Rey’s response,
“I appreciate that the Department has responded to my request to explain
why the input of over 14,000 Coloradans was overridden and that they
are committed to coming to Colorado to explain their decision to the
people of Colorado. I will continue to monitor this issue as the forest
service moves forward with implementing the forest management plan.” # # # |
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