Erik Fernandez

With a name like the “Fix Our Forests Act,” it should be a good thing for forests, wildlife, and the environment, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case with H.R. 471, aka the Fix Our Forests Act. A more accurate name for this legislation would be the “Clearcut Our Public Lands Act.” Proponents of the bill say it will reduce wildfire risk. A closer look at the actual text shows that it would significantly erode bedrock environmental protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Environmental Policy Act, remove science from land management decisions, eliminate public oversight across millions of acres of public lands, and may even make wildfires worse. …More logging means more roadbuilding in our forests which spreads flammable weeds, disrupts sensitive soils, fragments wildlife habitat, causes more landslides and sedimentation of rivers and drinking water sources, and is linked to an increase in human-caused wildfires.