Rapid City Journal - Thune, Noem Push for More Help in Beetle Wars

News Article

By Kevin Woster

Sen. John Thune and Rep. Kristi Noem have introduced federal legislation to streamline regulations and speed up work to control pine beetles and reduce the threat of wild fires in the Black Hills National Forest.

The South Dakota Republicans will have a news conference today in Rapid City to discuss the details of their plan, which they have introduced to the Senate and House in companion pieces of legislation.

"This legislation will give forest officials in the Black Hills a very powerful tool in their fight against the pine beetle that is devastating the Black Hills National Forest," Thune said in a statement released Wednesday. "The fire season has also started with thousands of acres of dead and dying trees, and with infestations rapidly spreading we are bracing for even greater challenges in controlling pine beetles in the Black Hills."

Noem joined Thune in the news release, saying that federal regulations and bureaucratic requirements slow the response to problems like the pine beetle, which threatens the "South Dakota treasure" of the Black Hills.

"Our legislation will help change that by cutting red tape and getting boots on the ground faster while working closer with the state and private landowners," Noem said. "This is a big step in the right direction."

Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Craig Bobzien of Custer said that the Forest Service has improved its response time to urgent forest management needs while still operating within environmental laws. But there might be ways to further improve that response, he said.

"We're making a lot of progress," Bobzien said. "But when you have a situation like the pine beetle that moves so quickly, I think there's an ongoing interest in looking at ways to streamline it."

Bobzien planned to join Thune and Noem for the news conference at 3 p.m. today at the Outdoor Campus West in Rapid City. Also attending will be Tom Troxel of Rapid City, director of the Black Hills Forest Resource Association, which represents the timber industry.

Troxel said the logging industry in the Black Hills is ready to take on more projects if a streamlined regulatory process can get them approved more quickly. Work being done to slow the spread of the beetles includes removing or sanitizing infested trees to keep newly hatched beetles from attacking other trees this summer. It also includes thinning the forest ahead of the beetles to slow their spread and decrease wildfire threats.

The logging industry in the Black Hills is busy but not at full work capacity, Troxel said.

"There's a point where we're maxed out. But we're not there yet," he said, estimating the industry is working at about 75 percent capacity.

Thune and Noem introduced the National Forest Emergency Response Act in the Senate and in the House. Their intent is to begin the legislation in the Senate and have it included in forestry title under the 2012 Farm Bill, potentially improving its chances for passage and expediting its implementation.

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