Proposed remedy for forest fires puts economic inter...( COLUMBUS Ohio President Bush's curren...)

COLUMBUS, Ohio President Bush's current call for reducing the restrictions on logging in national forests counters nearly 30 years worth of federal policy, according to an Ohio State University researcher who wrote a new book on government forest issues.

Changing such policies could have serious ramifications on environmental protection measures and citizen input on decisions that affect the 191 million acres of U.S. national forests. So says Tomas Koontz, an assistant professor of natural resources at Ohio State.

Koontz is the author of "Federalism in the Forest: National versus State Natural Resource Policy" (Georgetown University Press, 2002.) In it, he takes a look at the regulatory differences between federal and state forest agencies. He doesn't conclude that one type of governing is better than the other; rather, he says that preference is based on what results people seek.

"With a few exceptions, state governments are traditionally less interested in environmental protection," Koontz said. "They want to maximize profits and boost the economy. On the other hand, federal leaders are charged with providing environmental protection for national forests as well as citizen access to policy making."

The president has said he wants to ease restrictions on cutting timber in national public forests because of th
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Contact: Tomas Koontz
Koontz.31@osu.edu
614-688-8166
Ohio State University
6-Sep-2002

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