2014: Schweikert Voted For A Proposal That Would Mandate And Incentivize Additional Logging. In September, Schweikert voted for for a bill containing a provision mandating and incentivizing additional logging on National Forest lands. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The measure includes the provisions of HR 1526, which requires the U.S. Forest Service to increase timber production on National Forest lands by establishing at least one area in each National Forest where a specified level of timber harvesting must occur." According to the League of Conservation voters, HR 1526 "which would mandate and incentivize destructive logging and other harmful industrial activities across vast swaths of America's public lands. This intense expansion of logging and development would decimate our forests, which provide important benefits like clean drinking water, recreational opportunities, and fish and wildlife habitat. Even priceless landscapes such as inventoried roadless areas, wilderness study areas, old growth, and other conservation lands could be opened up to logging. While the bill purports to address concerns about forest fires, sufficient authority to facilitate fire and insect treatments already exist in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act." This provision was part of a larger bill called the Jobs for America Act. The bill passed the House by a vote of 253-163. The bill died in the Senate. [House Vote 513, 9/18/14; Congressional Quarterly, 9/15/14; GOP.gov, Accessed 9/15/15; Thomas.loc.gov, Accessed 9/15/15; Congressional Quarterly, 7/14/14; League of Conservation Voters, Accessed 9/17/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4]
Bill Is A Giveaway To Timber Industry, Sacrifice Nation's Forests For Timber In Place Of Public Recreation, Undermines Key Environmental Protections. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Democrats and environmental groups oppose the bill and consider it little more than a giveaway of the nation's lands and resources to the timber industry. The measure would dramatically change the multiple-use mission that has governed our national forest system for more than a century, they say, sacrificing public recreation, hunting, fishing and tourism for the sake of commercial logging and, in the process, encouraging road-building in environmentally sensitive areas. It undermines key environmental and public health protections and essentially waives our nation's most critical environmental laws while enacting legal barriers to possible lawsuits by citizens who want to protect our nation's natural resources. They also argue that it devolves national forest management, giving state and local officials extraordinary authority over federal lands." [Congressional Quarterly, 9/16/13]
Republicans Proponents Say This Provision Will Create Jobs And Increase Timber Receipts For Local Communities. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Republicans say the bill will create jobs and boost economic growth for local counties, as well as increase the timber receipts that those counties receive. Timber sales the past two decades have plummeted because of excessive regulation and environmental lawsuits, they say, which has resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs, deprived rural counties of revenue and made forests increasingly susceptible to wildfires and invasive species." [Congressional Quarterly, 9/16/13]
2019: Schweikert Voted Against An Amendment To The FY 2020 Continuing Appropriations To Curb Logging In Alaska's Tongass National Forest. In June 2019, Schweikert voted against an amendment that would, according to Congressional Quarterly, "prohibit the use of funds made available under the bill to plan or construct, for the purpose of timber harvesting by private entities, a forest development road in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska." The vote was on adoption of the amendment. The House adopted the amendment by a vote of 243-188. [House Vote 382, 6/20/19; Congressional Quarterly, 6/20/19; Congressional Actions, H.Amdt.438; Congressional Actions, H.R.3055]
The Amendment Effectively Blocked The Trump Administration's Proposal To Allow Logging In The Tongass National Forest. According to the Washington Post, "The Trump administration [In October, 2019] proposed allowing logging on more than half of Alaska's 16.7 million-acre Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in North America. President Trump instructed federal officials to reverse long-standing limits on tree cutting at the request of Alaska's top elected officials, on the grounds that it will boost the local economy." [Washington Post, 10/15/19]
Alaska's Entirely Republican Delegation Supported Expanding Development In The Tongass. According to the Washington Post, "Alaska's entire congressional delegation, which is all Republican members, has also asked Trump to expand development in the Tongass [...] 'As Alaskans know well, the Roadless Rule hinders our ability to responsibly harvest timber, develop minerals, connect communities, or build energy projects to lower costs --- including renewable energy projects like hydropower, all of which severely impedes the economy of Southeast,' said Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in a statement." [Washington Post, 10/15/19]
The Regulations, Known As The 'Roadless Rule,' Provided Critical Protection To The Region's Salmon Fishery And Tourism Operations. According to the Washington Post, "But critics say that protections under the 'roadless rule,' finalized just before President Bill Clinton left office in 2001, are critical to protecting the region's lucrative salmon fishery and tourism operations." [Washington Post, 10/15/19]
Washington Post: Road Building Would "Fragment Critical Habitat" And Logging Could Remove Trees That "Trap Sediment And Keep Waterways Cool." According to the Washington Post, "scientists who have worked in the area say the road building that would be required to take out more timber could fragment critical habitat, and logging could remove trees that trap sediment and keep waterways cool." [Washington Post, 10/15/19]
2017: Schweikert Voted For Exempting Federal Forest Regulations After Certain Disasters As Part Of Legislation Allowing Emergency FEMA Funds To Go To Wildfire Disasters. In November 2017, Schweikert voted for legislation that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "allow[ed] for a presidential declaration of a major disaster with regard to wildfires, which would allow for the release of funding from Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund to fight major wildfires, and would modify the disaster cap under the Budget Control Act to account for expected wildfire funding needs. It would also [have] exempt[ed] various forest management activities from filing environmental impact statements and would provide for expedited timber salvage operations and reforestation activities after catastrophic events. It would [have] prohibit[d] any court from issuing restraining orders or injunctions against salvage operations or reforestation activities undertaken in response to a large-scale catastrophic event." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 232 to 188. The Senate took no substantive action on the legislation. [House Vote 598, 11/1/17; Congressional Quarterly, 11/1/17; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2936]