Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 2406, the SHARE Act, and urge my colleagues to support its adoption.

This amendment is very straightforward. It simply requires the Forest Service to publish a notice in the Federal Register along with a justification explaining the decision for the closure of any public road on Forest Service lands.

Some of you may ask why this amendment is necessary, and that is understandable because, fortunately, many Americans have never had to deal with this issue. However, in my district in the Pacific Northwest and in many Federal forests across the country, many people have faced the reality that a public road that they have used for decades is suddenly closed. When I say ``closed,'' if I could refer your attention to this photograph, there is a picture indicating that a road is no longer even available for use. It is not just a chain going across the road.

However, the reality is far worse. When the Forest Service closes many of these public roads, they do so by piling gravel, downing trees, or both, in order to block access. At other times, they create what are called tank traps, essentially large ditches dug into the ground that makes passage impossible. Furthermore, these practices create impediments that not only block human access but can also restrict the movement of wildlife in our national forests.

This has become a serious issue in central Washington. For many people who use these roads, it can have detrimental impacts on their everyday lives, whether by making their daily travel much longer or by restricting access to campsites or treasured areas in our national forests.

Some of these roads have been in use for 70 or 80 years, with generations of Washingtonians using them for forest access and recreation. Yet, in most cases, the Forest Service has closed them without even first notifying local residents and the surrounding communities.

Mr. Chairman, I believe the first indication of a public road being closed should not come when an individual or a family is faced with an impassable roadway, but rather through adequate public notice from the Forest Service. That is why I have introduced this amendment today.

Just to be clear, my amendment simply requires the Forest Service to provide notification when closing a public road on Forest Service land as well as justification for such a decision. This is an important first step in ensuring that rural communities and residents are given proper warning and advance notice when a public roadway will suddenly be blocked and access to a Federal forest area will no longer be available.

Local residents and communities deserve to know when such an action is taking place and whether forest action will be denied. This amendment will guarantee the Forest Service is being transparent in future decisions and closures.

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chairman, rural communities deserve better from their government. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. I yield to the gentleman from Alaska.

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the comments from the good gentleman from Alaska.

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chairman, I would only say that since this is a bill, the SHARE Act, about public access, about use of our treasures, our national forests and public lands, all we are asking from the Forest Service is a little bit of transparency, notice so that people aren't caught off guard. Certainly there are extenuating circumstances where notice, if there is a downed power line or debris is in the middle of a road that makes it impassable, it seems to me that is a time when notice is even more necessary and imperative for the public good.

I appreciate the gentleman's comments, but would still urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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