Declarations

Scrap the Destructive Plans

“The U.S. Forest Service adopted illegal forest management plans that threaten California’s pristine national forests with road construction and oil drilling. … The Forest Service should scrap these destructive forest plans and protect California’s natural areas as required by law.”

—California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., who, along with California Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman, has sued the U.S. Forest Service for adopting “illegal forest management plans” that permit road construction and oil drilling in California’s largest national forests. The officials say the Forest Service’s plans allow road construction on more than 500,000 acres of roadless area within the Angeles, Los Padres, Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forest. According to the AG’s office, the four national forests in question account for more than 3.5 million acres of federally managed public land, from Big Sur to the Mexican border. The AG’S office says the Forest Service assured the Resources Agency in 2005 and 2006 that it would not allow road construction on California’s roadless areas.

A Wake Up Call, Maybe

“If you took an overall average, you’d probably be somewhere around 15 to 20 percent.”

—Brad Tibbitts, director of the life and property casualty division of the Utah Department of Insurance, commenting in an Associated Press report on the fact that few residents in his state purchase earthquake insurance. While the coverage is not included in a regular homeowners policy, it is available for an extra fee. The department says most Utah homeowners don’t carry the coverage but that a recent earthquake in Nevada may serve as a wake up call. Tibbetts said all but two insurance companies doing business in Utah offer earthquake protection, but few residents have added it to their policies.

Topics California Construction