Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. James Weaver. Thank you Senators. My name is Jim Weaver. I'm an attorney in private practice in Boise, Idaho. I've lived in Idaho all my life. I'm very familiar with all the areas being considered in the Payette National Forest. 488 I'll summarize my testimony briefly. The goal in these hearings will determine future management of unroaded lands in Idaho National Forest. The major controversy centers on whether or not these lands should be roaded for the pur pose of distracting timber from them. Most, if not all of the areas of the Payette National Forest that are being considered, simply is to provide legislation that cannot be logged economically. No matter what the outcome of these hearings, many of the lands in question will not be roaded and logged unless the Federal Government continues to subsidize the timber industry by building the roads and by selling the timber at less than the timber really costs economically. In my mind the public debate is beginning re garding the nature and extent of the subsidy in your hearings be ginning today. The public is going to soon decide whether it wants to continue to provide the subsidy. The determination of this issue, which I sus pect will be very hot politically, will be what determines whether these lands are roaded or not. For these reasons I oppose rapid action on your proposed legislation. And I also urge you and the memberrs of the committee to proceed conservatively and with the foresight drafted. Thank you.