skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Ending Wilderness Protection for AZ Forests?

play audio
Play

Tuesday, July 26, 2011   

PHOENIX - A million acres of Arizona's national forests would be opened up to industrial development and off-road vehicle use under a bill being considered in the U.S. House. The lands are currently being studied for possible wilderness designation by the U.S. Forest Service.

Outdoor Industry Association CEO Frank Hugelmeyer says he's testifying against the bill. He thinks the measure tilts too far in favor of industrial uses.

"It's harmful legislation that makes a sweeping decision on all wilderness study areas and roadless areas without a full understanding of the consequences on communities and industries, like the outdoor industry."

Hugelmeyer says America's healthiest economies balance multiple uses, like mining and logging, with recreation and tourism. Nationwide, the bill would roll back protections for some 58 million acres of roadless national forest land.

Arizona Wildlife Federation board member Ben Alteneder says the roadless designation has two purposes, but is mainly aimed at preventing new roads in potential wilderness areas.

"Try to help the Forest (Service) manage the roads they already have, get them under control. And another is to stop the 'wildcat' roads that are being developed."

He says the "wildcat" roads lead to soil erosion and destruction of wildlife habitat.

Alteneder says it can take many years for a hunter to obtain a big game tag, and ending the roadless restrictions can spoil what may be the hunt of a lifetime.

"And some yahoo drives by and there's your hunt, spoiled. Roadless areas are one of the key protections for solitude, for hunting experience, and they also provide a lot of habitat protection."

The bill would remove the authority of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to identify and protect lands for potential future wilderness without going through a local land-use plan.

The bills are HR 1581 and S 1087.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021