Cantwell Demands Answers from the U.S. Forest Service on Road Maintenance

Press Release

Backlog grows by $8M yearly; neglected forest roads cause environmental damage and jeopardize salmon runs

Friday, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) along with Congressmen Norm Dicks (D-WA), Brian Baird (D-WA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Jay Inslee (D-WA), sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns asking the U.S. Forest Service to improve maintenance of the deteriorating forest roads in Washington state.

The Forest Service is responsible for managing over 22,000 miles of roads in Washington and over $300 million alone will be needed to maintain the existing roads, replace culverts, and decommission old roads. Currently, $3 million is spent annually on road maintenance in the state's national forests, while the backlog of deferred maintenance grows by $8 million each year.

"We believe that the federal government must promptly take the actions necessary to reduce the harmful impacts of deteriorating Forest Service roads," wrote Cantwell and her colleagues. "There needs to be a clear plan that identifies what has to be done to achieve an ecologically and fiscally sustainable road system that reasonably meets the future needs for public access and agency administration."

Cantwell is the primary Senate champion to preserve America's remaining roadless areas, and has made

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