The 17 million-acre Tongass contains some of the most
magnificent scenery in North America, which is why it has become
a major destination for cruise ships. The Tongass is also home
to a spectacular array of wildlife, including eagles, bears,
wolves, wild salmon, and other fish and wildlife that have
largely vanished from other parts of the U.S. [1]

Few Americans are aware that logging in the Tongass is actually
subsidized by their own tax dollars. Taxpayer money is spent to
construct the logging roads that give private companies access
to the forest's timber. Without these taxpayer-funded roads, no
company would find it economical to cut the forest's trees.

In 2002 alone, the Forest Service spent $36 million on the
Tongass logging program--and received $1 million in revenue.
[2] Logging in the Tongass also undercuts America's moral
authority to urge other countries to reduce logging in tropical
rainforests, while we are logging our own.

Now, after years of battling to protect the Tongass,
environmentalists may finally be close to one of their major
goals. On June 16, in a remarkable bipartisan effort, the U.S.
House of Representatives passed an amendment by a vote of 222 to
205 that would prohibit taxpayer money from being spent to build
logging roads for private timber companies in the Tongass.

The action has now moved to the Senate. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
has introduced an amendment to the Interior Department
Appropriations bill that, like the House bill, would end
taxpayer-funded logging roads in the Tongass. The bill is
supported by a broad coalition of taxpayer and budget watchdog
groups, sportsmen, and conservationists.

Many conservatives are also on board, opposing what they see as
a blatant misuse of taxpayer dollars. McCain's bill will be
vigorously opposed by Alaska's senators.

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TAKE ACTION
Contact your Senators through the American Wilderness Coalition.

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SOURCES:
[1] The Wilderness Society press release.
[2] Alaska Coalition action alert.