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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Government aid Forest thieves


A coalition of conservation organizations committed to promoting sustainable forestry in the United States filed a lawsuit today against the Bush Administration. The organizations are the Forest Stewardship Council-US, Conservation Northwest, and the Center for Biological Diversity. The suit alleges that the Administration violated federal appropriations law when, in September of 2006, without any public process or Congressional approval, the Administration steered $350 million from Canadian lawsuit settlement funds to Bush-selected timber industry-dominated forestry foundations. The suit asks the Court to declare that the Bush Administration violated the law and asks the court to take reasonable and fair steps to ensure that the money is safeguarded until the Administration follows the law.

"Once again the Bush Administration has made up its own rules. Here, the Administration illegally gave away hundreds of millions of public dollars to organizations whose programs are not clearly established to advance the public interest," said Joe Scott, International Programs Director of Washington-based Conservation Northwest.

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The painting is by Laura Tasheiko

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