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Secretary Perdue, Forest Service Endorse Daines' Efforts to End Frivolous Litigation, Move Forest Management Forward

Statement

Date: April 24, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Natural Resources

Today during hearings in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and the interim chief of the U.S. Forest Service agreed to work with U.S. Senator Steve Daines to end frivolous litigation that hinders critical forest management projects in Montana.

They both voiced support for his effort to establish an arbitration program in Montana that would be an alternative to litigation.

"Environmental extremists have used fringe litigation as a weapon to stop responsible forest management projects that reduce the risk of wildfire," said Daines. "Now that we have the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service's support, I look forward to working with them to authorize arbitration and get projects out of the courtroom."

During the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing, Secretary Perdue said he would welcome an arbitration program, which would be "quicker and less expensive for all parties."

During the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Vicki Christiansen, the Interim Chief of the Forest Service, confirmed with Daines that the Forest Service "would be happy to work on a pilot project evaluating arbitration."

Daines' introduced the Protect Collaboration for Healthier Forests Act, which establishes a pilot arbitration program authorizing the U.S. Forest Service to use binding arbitration in Region 1 (Montana, parts of Idaho, North Dakota) as an alternative dispute resolution process for certain forest restoration projects. Litigation against forest management projects frequently take many years to resolve. Pilot arbitration authority would bring swifter resolution to disputed projects. In doing so, hazardous fuels reduction projects developed through a collaborative process that are allowed to go forward will be implemented more quickly.


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