Kaptur: Bring back the Civilian Conservation Corps

[Marxist]

Kaptur Bring back the Civilian Conservation Corps Sandusky Register
This is a brilliant idea.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, says it's time to bring back the Civilian Conservation Corps, a mainstay of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal back in the 1930s.

The congresswoman says she marked Earth Day Wednesday by introducing her 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act, H.R. 1966, to put people to work on environmental projects.

Examples of such work that could be carried out, according to a news release from her office, include reforestation, forest fire, flood and soil erosion prevention, eradication of invasive species and flora disease, blight removal of dead plant material and abandoned structures, construction and maintenance of paths, trails and fire-lanes.

“At its heart, this legislation is about investing in America’s workers and our nation’s environmental treasures,” said Rep. Kaptur. “Time after time, these investments have paid off in the form of economic growth, healthy ecosystems, strong families and communities, and a thriving middle class. Rather than doubling down on wasteful and widely discredited top-down economics, this legislation restores the simple link between the work our nation needs to do and the people who are ready and eager to do it.”

 

[Pogo]

Marcy Kaptur's pretty cool.

 

[waltky]

Forest Service needs more funding for wildfire management...

Report: Forest restoration work not keeping pace with demand
9 Nov.`15 - WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says it has increased the pace and scale of its forest restoration work since 2011, but progress waned this year and the agency risks following further behind without more resources.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is using a new report to press Congress to change the way in which the federal government funds wildfire fighting. The report states that the Forest Services was able to thin out more than 4.6 million acres of forest lands in 2014, a 9 percent increase from 2011. The amount of timber produced for public consumption increased by about 12 percent during that same period. Vilsack said he expects that improvements will drop off this year, but will still exceed the 2011 levels. "We're doing more, but we're not necessarily keeping up with the risk that's out there. You've got 45 million acres of diseased trees out there that are just waiting for a lightning strike to ignite them," Vilsack said. "We've got to pick up the pace of restoration if we want to reduce the risk of fire."

With Congress finishing its work on this year's budget bills, the Obama administration is pressing for legislation that would treat the most devastating wildfires as natural disasters and relieve pressure on other parts of the Forest Service's budget. Some Republican lawmakers are pushing an alternative bill that would ease the environmental review process for certain projects to speed up forest thinning projects. They would also provide disaster funding after 100 percent of the budget for firefighting has been consumed. Vilsack said the Forest Service needs more certainty. "If I don't know for a fact I'll have that money available until the last day of the fiscal year, I can't commit it," Vilsack said.

Vilsack said the agency was able to do more with less thanks to changes that sped up the environmental review process for small projects and more work by states to thin federal lands. He said budget constraints have reduced the number of Forest Service workers dedicated to restoration and recreation work by nearly 40 percent over the past 17 years. More than half the agency's budget was dedicated to firefighting this year, setting a record. "We're moving the Forest Service from being a forest service to being a fire department," Vilsack said.

Report: Forest restoration work not keeping pace with demand

See also:

Weyerhaeuser to buy rival Plum Creek to create giant timber land firm
Sunday 8th November, 2015 - Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Plum Creek for an estimated $8.4 billion deal to create the world's premier timber, land and forest products company with more than 13 million acres of the most productive and diverse timberland in the US.

Weyerhaeuser manages 6.9 million acres, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, while Seattle-based Plum Creek owns approximately 6.2 million acres of timberlands located in over 19 states. Under the terms of the deal, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, Plum Creek shareholders will receive 1.60 shares of Weyerhaeuser for each share held. The deal carries a 21 percent premium to Plum Creek's closing price on Friday. It represents an implied premium of 13.8 percent to the 30-trading-day Volume Weighted Average Price ratio of Plum Creek shares to Weyerhaeuser shares.

Looks like somebody bought the Ponderosa​

At the close of the transaction, expected late in the first quarter of next year or early in the second quarter, the combined company is expected to have an equity value of $23 billion based on current share prices, Federal Way, Washington-based Weyerhaeuser announced Sunday. The combined EBITDA for both companies in 2014 was $2.2 billion. The merger deal is estimated to be about $8.4 billion based on about 174 million Plum Creek shares outstanding and the closing price Weyerhaeuser's shares at $30.40 on Friday. "With an extraordinary set of combined assets and the proven value creation records of both Weyerhaeuser and Plum Creek, the combined company will offer a compelling opportunity for shareholders," said Rick R. Holley, chief executive officer for Plum Creek.

Combining the two companies, which operate as real estate investment trusts, is expected to attract larger investors both at home and globally. "The breadth and diversity of our combined land and timber assets uniquely position the new company to capitalize fully on the improving housing market, continue to capture higher and better use land values across the combined portfolio, and create additional opportunities to build lasting value," stated Holley.

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[SuperDemocrat]

I guess it is a good idea to prepare young men and women for war by getting them to join a para military organization. Who do you want to go to war against?

 

[waltky]

Who do you want to go to war against?

Does it matter?