A harsh reality for victims of Arizona wildfires

June 13, 2011 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brandon Middleton

From Katie Pavlich at Townhall:

Under the disguise of non-profit organizations and saviors of the environment and endangered species, groups like the Sierra Club, Friends of the Forest Guardians and the Center for Biological Diversity have been strong advocates against logging, the burning of small natural fires, and grazing on federally held forest land. Excessive Forest Service regulation, Endangered Species Act regulations, clean water regulations and more, prevent the salvaging of dead trees and cleanup of excess dead vegetation. This has resulted in a dangerous and large build up of extremely dry dead trees, excess brush and thick vegetation undergrowth. A ticking time bomb waiting for a single lightening strike to set it off.

"We can’t go in and do anything now because essentially the greens control the USFS," R.J. Smith, director of the Center for Private Conservation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute tells Townhall. "The environmental regulations and the philosophy prevents them from doing anything to restore the forests to a healthy condition. You literally can't go in anymore."