Kevin Kiley: Don’t Just Talk, Protect Our District

Dear Editor,

If you’re a constituent of Congressman Kevin Kiley, Congressional District 3, now’s the time to let him know that he can’t make nice speeches about protecting our forests while ignoring staffing cuts and attempts to turn the forests into money-making machines.

In his March 6 speech on the House floor, Mr. Kiley said that adequate funding for our forests “remains critical” and that “there are concerns that some Forest Service positions may be in jeopardy.” Perhaps he didn’t know about USDA’s mass firing on Feb. 13, which included thousands of federal land employees, around 75% of which had secondary wildland fire duties.

Though a US District court has ordered reinstatements, more cuts might well be made. As for current cuts, on March 18, NPR reported, “The Department of Agriculture said it had a phased plan for returning probationary employees to active duty, though it did not lay out a timeline, and USDA employees contacted by NPR had not been told when or if they’d return to work. USDA said of the 5,714 probationary employees it fired, 1,070 were seasonal Forest Service employees who were returned to their prior unpaid status.” (The Forest Service claims about 35,000 employees, so that’s 16%, if you’re counting).

Why do this? The Nation points out, “…in a flurry of executive and secretarial orders, Trump and Interior Secretary Burgum brought oil, gas, timber, and mineral extraction back to the forefront of land management, and returned climate change (which government scientists aren’t allowed to talk about anymore) to the sidelines…Firing workers who steward public land makes it easier to carry out an extractive agenda on that land … As land previously maintained by public employees falls into disrepair, the prospect of private maintenance and ownership will begin to look more favorable.”

Please, call, email or write to Mr. Kiley’s office and let him know that he must strongly oppose any administrative order, budget or bill that cuts the Forest Service workforce and puts our people and our forest at risk.

Jesse Golden

Camptonville