MENDOCINO CO., 3/11/26 – California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined attorneys general from eight other states Monday in opposing a federal proposal that would limit public participation in decisions about national forest projects.
In a letter to the U.S. Forest Service, the coalition said the proposal would make it harder for the public, tribes and environmental groups to comment on projects affecting national forests.
The rule would shorten some public comment periods from 30 days to 10 days and others from 45 days to 20 days, according to the attorneys general.
It would also remove the requirement that objections be reviewed by a neutral official and instead allow the project’s lead official to handle those objections.
The attorneys general argue that change could undermine fairness because the official reviewing the objection would be evaluating his or her own decision. “Responsibility for reviewing objections should lie not with the person proposing a project, but with a neutral party,” the letter states.
The review process applies to decisions such as timber sales, road-building and wildfire fuel reduction projects on national forest land.
California has about 20 million acres of national forest, including the Mendocino National Forest.
Attorneys general from Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington also signed the letter.
So we have these giant wild fires in the west as a result of historic fire suppression, and the environmental movement stopping industrial forest management. The uneducated public chooses to believe global warming is the cause, (note i am not agreeing or disagreeing about global warming that is a separate issue) where as industry has been warning for 4 decades that this would coming as the forest density reached historic levels. I see this as lets poll the public about how to engineer a fusion reactor and hope we get infinite power. Like wise lets let forest professionals and scientists with actual forestry training, manage the forests.
So we have these giant wild fires in the west as a result of historic fire suppression, and the environmental movement stopping industrial forest management. The uneducated public chooses to believe global warming is the cause, (note i am not agreeing or disagreeing about global warming that is a separate issue) where as industry has been warning for 4 decades that this would coming as the forest density reached historic levels. I see this as lets poll the public about how to engineer a fusion reactor and hope we get infinite power. Like wise lets let forest professionals and scientists with actual forestry training, manage the forests.
If the public want to vote we need more hiking trails or camping sites, that is fine, but commenting on forest management is a waste of every ones tiem and money (minus the lawyers)
Minority voices are the seeds of transformation—when nurtured, they grow into societal change that benefits all… not just corporations.
Trees create rainfall through their transpiration of leaves this is a scientific fact also one large tree absorbs about a ton of carbon a year that’s a greenhouse gas and gives us 260 lb of oxygen a year absorbs about 10 pounds of pollutants a year cutting down forest in the name of fire suppression is wrong but Timber science advocates for the cutting down of trees so they can build houses and fences out of trees which are the reason we have Urban Wildland interface fires according to Jack Cohen and now retired fire scientist from the fire lab in Missoula Montana Jack Cohen was the main man you called to investigate fires across America Timber Sciences endemic is in our colleges teaching students about so-called fire management and they misguide and give bad information to suit their own monetary endeavors they also give grants to suit their cause. Fuel management should be the goal here burning fires during rainy season and snow season
Home Owners Association (HOA)
– management by HOME OWNERS & hired professional consultants.
Public Lands, i.e National Forests
– management by THE PUBLIC & hired professional consultants.
Any questions?