A forestry bill opposed by the Biden-Harris administration won approval last week in the U.S. House and had the support of all five Oklahomans in the House.
Arkansas GOP Congressman Bruce Westerman introduced the bill that won support on a vote of 268-151. It also had the support of 55 Democrats in the House. Reps. Stephanie Bice, Josh Brecheen, Tom Cole, Kevin Hern and Frank Lucas voted to support Westerman’s bill.
While environmentalists opposed it, contending it would lead to more logging, Rep. Westerman disagreed and indicated his bill would protect the nation’s forests.
“America’s forests are on life support after decades of mismanagement. The clock on these ticking time bombs is down to the final few seconds, and Congress must move swiftly to save our forests from imminent destruction.”
While it won approval in the House, the bill is unlikely to become law because the White House came out against it. Biden’s statement indicated the measure, if it became law, would “undermine basic protections for communities, lands, wateres, and wildlife” and would “reduce opportunities for public input.” The White House said it “strongly opposes” the legislature and the bill would “heighten the likelihood for conflict, litigation and delay on needed forest restoration and resilience work.”
