Richardson Grove State Park in California
Credit: Caltrans
April 17, 2023 - The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) reports on April 12th, a group of 28 members of Congress sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, Tom Vilsack, and Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary, Deb Haaland, urging the departments to undertake a formal rulemaking to protect mature and old-growth forests.
In April 2022, President Biden issued Executive Order 14072, recognizing mature and old-growth forests as vital to the resilience of communities across the nation. The Order directed USDA and DOI to define, identify, and complete an inventory of mature and old-growth forests on federal lands by April 22, 2023.
The April 12 letter recognizes the efforts of the two agencies to meet that approaching deadline; however, lawmakers are requesting immediate action to protect existing mature and old-growth forests from further loss.
In addition to the request for a formal rulemaking, members are asking the agencies to issue interim guidance while the rulemaking process is underway. California delegation members Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-44, Los Angeles), Mark DeSaulnier (D-10, Concord), Jared Huffman (D-2, Marina), Mike Levine (D-49, San Juan Capistrano), Doris Matsui (D-7, Sacramento), and Katie Porter (D-47, Irvine) signed on to the letter.
ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-seven member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Source: RCRC
