Tongass letter to Clinton
8/26/96
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 15:40:57 -0400
From: Roger Featherstone
Sender: owner-actgreen@envirolink.org
Subject: SIGN-ON -- Last Week For Signing Tongass Letter to Clinton
LAST WEEK TO SIGN LETTER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON TO PROTECT THE TONGASS
PLEASE CONTACT THE ALASKA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN TO SIGN YOUR GROUP TO THE
LETTER THIS WEEK!!
This is the last week to sign the letter being circulated by the Alaska
Rainforest Campaign. They are well on their way to a successful letter
with over 170 groups already on the letter. However, if your group
hasn't already signed the letter, please do so this week. The deadline
for the letter is August 31.
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To sign the letter contact the Alaska Rainforest Campaign at:
akrain2@igc.apc.org
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Please sign on your conservation organization onto this letter for the
Tongass National Forest. The Tongass is the largest temperate
rainforest left on earth, important to the economic and cultural well-
being of the people who live there, and a wonder-filled vacation
destination - truly a national treasure. Currently, the Tongass is
threatened with the most destructive pieces of Congressional
legislation to date - an extension of Louisiana Pacific Corporation's
Ketchikan Pulp Company's monopoly contract on Tongass timber. We have
written a letter to President Clinton, to be signed by conservation
organizations nation-wide, asking for his help. The letter, which is
included in this message, explains a lot about the legislation. A fact
sheet on KPC is also included after the letter for more information.
Your organization's signature onto the letter is of great value in
protecting the future of the Tongass. If you can sign on please e-mail
your organization name, the name of a group representative (to be
included on the letter), and contact information to akrain2@igc.apc.org
or call the Alaska Rainforest Campaign at 202-544-8926. Thank you for
your help!!
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LETTER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON:
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President Bill Clinton
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Clinton,
Thank you for your strong defense of the Tongass National Forest - the
world's last great temperate rainforest - during the 1996 budget fight.
Your continued help is vital in protecting this rare national treasure.
We urge you to cancel the Ketchikan Pulp Company's monopoly Tongass
timber contract and to work within your administration to strengthen
the proposed Tongass Land Management Plan, which we feel is seriously
flawed.
For over 40 years, the Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC), owned by
Louisiana-Pacific, has been operating under a 50-year contract - the
only such contract in the entire National Forest system. This contract
guarantees KPC the right to clearcut in the Tongass without competition
or paying market rate for the trees. Over the years, this subsidy has
cost the American taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars. A 1995
General Accounting Office report shows that between just 1992-94, the
Tongass timber program ran a cash deficit of more than $102 million and
is by far the biggest money loser in the National Forest system. The
company is now seeking to extend the contract 15 years beyond its 2004
deadline.
No private entity, particularly not the Ketchikan Pulp Company, is
entitled to this special treatment at the expense of the environment
and the American taxpayer. The Environmental Protection Agency's
most recent reports show that KPC is one of the biggest toxic water
polluters in the Pacific Northwest, and has failed to comply with a
host of federal clean air and water laws. The record of KPC over the
past 20 years includes a felony and thirteen misdemeanor pollution
convictions, millions of dollars in criminal and civil penalty fines,
hundreds of other pollution violations and citations, and numerous
breaches of its contract. Under this contract, KPC has unsustainably
clearcut hundreds of thousands of acres of the Tongass posing a clear
threat to fish and wildlife habitat and harming other users of this
great rainforest. This is no way to treat a national treasure. On the
basis of KPC's record, this contract should be terminated immediately,
and certainly not extended.
We believe that the cancellation of the KPC contract would benefit both
the environment and the taxpayers. Without this contract, Tongass
clearcutting can be reduced and timber could be sold on the open
market, saving taxpayer money. The local timber economy could be
modernized and steered towards operations which put more people to work
while cutting fewer trees. Scientific experts have expressed grave
concerns about the current rate of clearcutting on the Tongass, and
warn that it must be drastically reduced in order to protect fish and
wildlife. It would be environmentally and economically irresponsible
to continue this 40-year old, destructive arrangement.
The proposed Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) is another serious
concern. Consistent with the views expressed, the proposed TLMP is
flawed because its preferred alternative calls for too much
clearcutting and fails to provide for a planned termination of the 50-
year KPC contract. TLMP also fails to incorporate the recommendations
of the Forest Service's own fish and wildlife experts and those
contained in extensive scientific peer reviews. The preferred
alternative lacks adequate provisions for old-growth reserves,
corridors between reserves, beach fringe buffer zones, and many other
vital areas. We strongly recommend that you work with your
Administration to strengthen the proposal while staying on schedule for
completion. At a minimum, we urge you to make these improvements:
" Protect the proposed 21 special areas that are important to local
residents and communities
" Adopt the Tongass Rivers Coalition's proposal to designate 67
Tongass rivers as wild and scenic rivers with << mile (instead of
mile) corridors.
" Maximize habitat protection to ensure fish and wildlife flourish
forest-wide.
" Protect sustainable multiple uses of the Tongass.
" Reform forest practices, reduce clearcutting.
" Initiate transition to new sustainable forest products industry.
" Stop subsidized destruction of the forest.
The Tongass is a true national treasure - the last great temperate
rainforest on earth. It is not only the concern of Alaskans, but of
the nation and the world. The destructive clearcutting which is
wreaking havoc on the ecological integrity of this forest must be
curtailed. We urge your Administration to support the cancellation of
the KPC contract and the adoption of a TLMP which protects and restores
the Tongass ecosystem. Its the right thing for America today and for
the generations to come.
Sincerely,
conservation groups nationwide
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FACT SHEET:
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Does Louisiana Pacific Corporation deserve special interest treatment
to destroy America's last great temperate rainforest?
Alaska's Tongass National Forest is a national treasure and is the
heart of the world's largest remaining temperate rainforest. Sadly,
unsustainable clearcutting is destroying this forest. Worse yet, for
over 40 years Tongass clearcutting has cost the American taxpayer
hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies, and now primarily
benefits just one company: Louisiana-Pacific's Ketchikan Pulp Company
(KPC).
Louisiana-Pacific's KPC has a 50-year monopoly contract for Tongass
timber - the only such contract in any National Forest. Under this
tax-payer subsidized contract, KPC receives over 50-67% of the annual
Tongass timber supply for non-competitive, below-market rates, and
threatens all the other users of the forest. This company does not
deserve such special interest treatment because it has completely
failed to be a responsible corporate citizen. KPC is one of the worst
toxic water polluters in the Pacific Northwest, has a felony conviction
for intentionally dumping toxic sludge into Southeast Alaska's water,
and has failed to comply with state air quality regulations.
In spite of KPC's failures, the Alaska delegation is leading the charge
to extend their contract by at least 15 years! Here are five reasons
why Louisiana-Pacific's KPC deserves to have its monopoly Tongass
timber contract canceled.
1. Louisiana-Pacific's Ketchikan pulp mill is consistently ranked by
the EPA as one of the worst water polluters in the entire Pacific
Northwest. EPA's 1991 and 1992 Toxic Release Inventory Reports rank
Louisiana-Pacific's Ketchikan pulp mill as the number one toxic water
polluter in the entire Pacific Northwest. In 1993, the pulp mill was
ranked second. The 1994 report has not yet been released.
2. In 1995, KPC pled guilty to 14 criminal violations for
intentionally polluting the waters of Southeast Alaska. KPC agreed to
pay $3 million in criminal fines, and $3.11 million in civil fines to
settle the case. In the civil case, the U.S. Government alleged
hundreds of federal clean-water and clean-air violations.
3. KPC has a 40 year history of polluting Southeast Alaska's air and
water. Beginning in 1954, pollution from KPC's pulp mill has converted
Ketchikan's Ward Cove from a vibrant marine eco-system into a toxic
waste dump. In addition to KPC's criminal and civil violations,
hundreds of additional violations have been reported by the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC).
4. Louisiana-Pacific's KPC continues to operate in spite of its
failure to meet water and air quality permit requirements. KPC has
consistently violated the terms of permits designed to protect the
public's health by restricting the discharge of harmful air and water
pollutants from its pulp mill. In May 1995, ADEC acknowledged reports
showing that the Ketchikan pulp mill's air pollution may represent a
"high human health risk" to local residents, cited the company for
permit violations and refused to renew a key permit. Instead, ADEC
entered into a consent decree allowing KPC to continue to operate
without a permit until additional monitoring and analysis is completed
and a new air permit issued.
5. KPC was found guilty of monopolistic practices. In 1983, the
courts concluded that KPC was guilty of anti-trust violations,
including price fixing, collusive bidding, and forcing independent
timber companies out of business. The Forest Service estimated that
the anti-trust practices of KPC and Alaska Pulp Corporation, (which
also held a Tongass 50-year pulp contract until it was terminated for
breach in 1994), cheated the government out of $60-80 million dollars.
Louisiana Pacific does not deserve special interest treatment to
destroy America's Tongass National Forest. Help stop this taxpayer
rip-off.