Tony Brown is totally off base in implying that the Clinton road initiative closes existing roads. What the initiative does is allow no more new roads to be be constructed by the Forest Service in areas which are now roadless.
Presently, there are hundreds of thousands of miles of roads in national forests, and the Forest Service has never had adequate funds to properly maintain these roads. The roads, once constructed for logging, are never reclaimed and cause runoff and pollution problems for years after they are constructed.And yet, we taxpayers subsidize the building of these roads. If we would just end all subsidies and charge the logging companies up front all the roadbuilding and reclaimation costs, there would be no logging because the costs exceed the value of the timber to be logged.
The preservation of existing roadless areas is consistent with Teddy Roosevelt and multiple use. Activities permitted in these areas include grazing, hunting, hiking, fishing, rafting, snowshoeing and enjoying wildlife. Indeed, the easiest way to take an area out of multiple use is to clear cut it.
We have already logged over 90 percent of the virgin timber in the West. Let us keep the rest as natural and remember what the rest of the West once looked like.
Michael Budig
Salt Lake City