We moved to the Upper Valley from Addison County, where a short walk from home brought us to Green Mountain National Forest. These woodlands provide endless recreation opportunities, watershed protection, wildlife habitat. National Forest lands are under threat from the Trump administration’s proposed changes to environmental rules.
The Addison County Independent still arrives in our local mailbox, and a recent article alerted me to National Environmental Policy Act changes that will mean “a lot more commercial logging, road building, utility corridors (on National Forest lands) — all without environmental review or public comment.” The act requires agencies to analyze the environmental effects of proposed actions before making decisions, but the proposed changes would “drastically alter those requirements by greatly expanding number and type of projects that would count as ‘categorical exclusions,’ ” meaning they could be approved without environmental assessments or impact statements.
Such reclassified projects could include commercial logging, including clear cutting; new road construction and reconstruction of old roads through the forest; closing roads and trails used for recreation; and bulldozing for pipelines and utility rights-of-way.
The Forest Service says the changes are needed to address backlogs in the permitting process and challenges such as the recent increase in wildfires that require more agency resources and personnel. What it does not mention is that Trump administration has proposed cutting Forest Service spending by nearly $1 billion for fiscal year 2020, including a $654.4 million cut in wildland fire management, according to the Independent.
The Green Mountain National Forest was established in 1932 in response to excess logging, fire and flooding. Public lands are part of “the commons” — the land and resources belonging to our whole community. The community has a right and a responsibility to ensure that our valuable resources are managed thoughtfully and respectfully. The executive branch must not be permitted to deprive us of this right and we, owners of the commons, have a responsibility to act. Go to regulations.gov/docket?D=FS-2019-0010 to view documents and submit your comments by Aug. 25.
ELISSA CLOSE
Norwich
White River Junction-based JAG Productions was formed in 2016 with the mission to produce classic and contemporary African American theater; to serve as an incubator of new work that excites broad intellectual engagement; and to catalyze compassion, empathy, love and community through a shared understanding of humankind through the lens of the African American experience. JAG Productions nurtures and sustains a multi-generational and multi-racial theater company with black artists and community organizers at its center.
The nonprofit, which was recently formally recognized by Vital Communities, has brought to the Upper Valley Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Choir Boy, and Fences. It is now running a summer fundraising campaign for its fourth season. No amount of financial assistance is too small to make a difference. The goal is to raise $10,800 (half of the annual budget) by Aug. 31.
Online donations can be made at www.jagproductionsvt.com, or they can be mailed to JAG Productions, P.O. Box 354, White River Junction, Vt., 05001 A receipt will be provided for tax purposes. Your donation will help create a space for African American theater in Vermont.
SARA NORCROSS
Reading, Vt.