(SitNews) Anchorage, Alaska – The Alaska Department Natural Resources used federal forestry grant funds legally and appropriately to analyze the economic impacts of implementing the federal “roadless rule” in Alaska, Commissioner Corri A. Feige said today.

Democrats on U.S. House and Senate resources committees have accused the State of Alaska of improperly directing U.S. Forest Service (USFS) grant funds to the Alaska Forest Association (AFA), implying the State was misusing federal funds to influence federal policy in the interest of private industry. 

The allegations drew on results of a state public records request from the Southeast Alaska Conservation Coalition, a strong opponent of lifting the roadless rule, as reported by Juneau public radio station KTOO-FM.

“The facts show DNR is using these grants exactly as intended – to help the Forest Service understand how roadless rule changes would affect Southeast Alaska,” Feige said.  “DNR did everything right, and allegations to the contrary are as easy to refute as they are embarrassing for the accusers.  It is unfortunate that Congressional leaders would impugn the State of Alaska and DNR staff before checking the facts.”

The Division of Forestry’s (DOF) many responsibilities include fighting fires throughout Alaska and providing expert information on the impact of federal land management policies on forests in the state.  To that end, DOF in 2018 accepted a modification to an annual forest programs grant from USFS, which manages the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.

USFS drew on funds coded as “state fire assistance” funds” typically disbursed to help build state firefighting capacity, for $2 million in grants that, matched with $2 million in State funds, would support the state’s work as a cooperating agency in the Alaska-specific roadless rulemaking process.

The grant approval language recognized that no more than $1.7 million of the funds would be used to assemble a group representing diverse interests to consider and make recommendations on the roadless rulemaking, and to conduct economic, social and environmental analysis of the group’s recommendations.  AFA was contracted to provide economic analysis of commercial timber sales under each alternative, and to train USFS staff on how to produce economic timber sales.

While the accusing legislators claim the Organized Village of Kake had been shut out of the process, Feige said that not only is Kake one of six Southeast Alaska tribes identified as cooperating agencies along with the State in the rulemaking process, but also that the tribe had received travel funds as part of the federal grant.  Kake’s president, Joel Jackson, testified to the House Resources Committee on Nov. 13 in opposition to roads in the Tongass, and has met in Juneau with Jim Hubbard, the Department of Interior undersecretary for natural resources and environment, for government-to-government consultations on the issue.

Feige further noted that USFS has held both scoping meetings and public hearings on the draft roadless rule environmental impact study in Anchorage, Washington D.C., Juneau and up to 15 Southeast Alaska communities where public comments were collected.

Grant funds spent to date cover $186,000 for a contractor to facilitate the public interest group meetings, including travel expenses.  The State has not yet billed USFS under the grant for work completed by Alaska Forest Association, and could use state matching funds for that purpose.  Remaining unspent funds will go to reduce buildup of hazardous fuel statewide, a typical use of such funds.

“DNR and USFS have collaborated effectively throughout the Tongass roadless rulemaking process,” Feige said.  “It is appalling that the public and other stakeholders are being intentionally misled about the integrity of that process by politicians and special interests who disagree with Secretary Purdue’s apparent intent to select the “Full Exemption” as the preferred alternative.  This type of manipulation simply should not be tolerated.”

Governor Michael J. Dunleavy also set the record straight today regarding the Alaska Department Natural Resources (DNR) decision to utilize grant funds to evaluate the economic impacts of a Roadless Rule exemption for the Tongass National Forest.

Quoting a news release from the Office of the Governor, here are the facts. The Alaska Division of Forestry (DOF), a division of DNR, received $2.0 million from the U.S. Forest Service in 2018. The state utilized the funding in its role as a cooperating agency in the federal rulemaking process. The Alaska Division of Forestry approved a grant of up to $250,000 to the Alaska Forest Association (AFA), a non-profit trade organization representing the Alaska forest products industry, to conduct an economic analysis of the amount of timber produced under each alternative. These alternatives were developed by the Alaska Roadless Rule Citizen Advisory Committee and will be updated following the recent release of the draft alternative EIS.

According to the governor's news release, the analysis by Alaska Forest Association will help inform the state as it prepares comments on the draft EIS and is both important and necessary to determine where harvesting may take place while using the best available industry practices. Lifting the Roadless Rule also creates new recreational opportunities in the Tongass like kayaking and hiking for Alaskans and visitors from around the world and can increase connectivity between communities in the Southeast region.  

In July 2019, in what the governor describes as an" extreme environmental organization" based in Southeast Alaska filed a records request with DNR for documents relating to the grant. Following the records request, two members of the United States Congress, Congressman Raul Grijalva (D) of Arizona and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) of Michigan, requested the USDA investigate the “potential misuse of a recent U.S. Forest Service grant to the State of Alaska.”    

“This is another example of extreme environmentalists deliberately cherry picking information to distort and mislead the American public and members of Congress,” said Governor Dunleavy. “The grant was appropriate and legal, all the information anyone needs to reach the same conclusion is readily available to the public. I respectfully suggest Congressman Grijalva and Senator Stabenow do their homework before asking a federal agency to conduct a costly, time consuming and ultimately pointless investigation into a grant that will provide essential information about lifting the Roadless Rule. Exempting the Tongass from the Roadless Rule will create new jobs and economic activity in a region hard hit by the misguided policies of a previous administration.”

“As Alaskans we continually need to remind the Washington D.C. establishment that Alaska is a sovereign state. As Governor, I will continue to use our resources and assets to the benefit of all Alaskans,” said Governor Dunleavy.

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry, and Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-3), Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, on Monday (November 18, 2019) requested a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspector General investigation into whether the U.S. Forest Service improperly granted funds to the State of Alaska.

According to the request for investigation, reportedly, the state used the grant to support their requested exemption from federal environmental rules.  Additionally, the state allegedly awarded a portion of the federal funds to the timber industry in order to make the case for removing environmental protections for the Tongass National Forest. 

“The Tongass is our largest National Forest and is essential to addressing the climate crisis,” wrote the lawmakers. “It is critical that we ensure this taxpayer funded grant was properly awarded and used.”

The State of Alaska has asked that the USDA consider fully exempting the Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule, which protects certain forests from logging and road construction to protect these lands. In October 2019, the Trump Administration published a proposal that supports exempting the Tongass from the rule.

According to a KTOO news report, the State of Alaska requested a $2 million State Fire Assistance grant, which is typically used to help communities prevent and suppress wildfires. The state allegedly used this grant to coordinate efforts to support a rulemaking to exempt the Tongass from the Roadless Rule, awarding some of the funds to the Alaska Forest Association, a timber industry association supportive of removing environmental protections from the Tongass. The state did not give funds to other stakeholders, including the Organized Village of Kake, a tribal government that has concerns about the impact of large-scale logging on their community.

The lawmakers Stabenow and Grijalva are requesting an investigation into whether the Forest Service properly granted these funds to the State of Alaska and whether the funds were used appropriately.

The full text of the letter to USDA Inspector General Phyllis K. Fong is below. A PDF of the letter is available to download (click here).

Dear Ms. Fong:

We write to request an investigation regarding the potential misuse of a recent U.S. Forest Service (USFS) grant to the State of Alaska. We are concerned by a recent news report indicating the State of Alaska used a federal fire assistance grant for non-fire purposes, including a subgrant to a timber industry stakeholder to support a rulemaking regarding roadless area management on the Tongass National Forest.

In January 2018, the State of Alaska requested that USDA consider creating a state-specific rule to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule, a rule which establishes nationwide prohibitions on harvesting timber and road construction on certain National Forest Service lands in order to protect these lands. Alaska sought a full exemption from the rule.

According to a September 24, 2019 press report on Alaska Public Media, the State of Alaska’s Fire Staff Officer requested $2 million in grant funding, apparently under a State fire assistance grant, which is typically used to help communities prevent and suppress wildfires. The documentation in this press report shows the purpose for seeking the grant funding was to cooperate and coordinate in carrying out the rulemaking to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule. According to this press report, the State of Alaska awarded some of the funds from this grant to the Alaska Forest Association, an industry trade association advancing the business interests of Alaska’s timber industry. The press report also notes that funding was not granted to other stakeholders, including the Organized Village of Kake, a tribal government that has concerns about the impact of large-scale logging on their community.

The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978’s grant authorities appear to primarily, or even wholly, provide financial assistance to states for the prevention and suppression of fires on non-Federal forest lands. However, Alaska’s revised application for these funds contains no mention of fire activities and indicates they will be used to help fulfill their cooperating agency responsibilities for their petition to the USFS to revise the Roadless Rule on federal lands.

The Tongass is our largest National Forest and is essential to addressing the climate crisis. It is critical that we ensure this taxpayer funded grant was properly awarded and used. We request an investigation into whether the Forest Service properly granted these funds to the State of Alaska and whether the funds were used appropriately.

In reviewing this matter, we ask that you investigate the following questions:

1. Under what specific grant program was the $2 million grant to the State of Alaska awarded, and was the grant to the State of Alaska described above properly awarded, including being awarded for purposes allowed under the grant program? 
   
   
2. What was this grant funding used for, and was it properly used by the State of Alaska and any subgrantees, including the Alaska Forest Association?
   
   
3. Were other Alaska stakeholders such as the Organized Village of Kake made aware of or awarded any funding to support their abilities to assist in the rulemaking?
   
   
4. What communication between the USFS, the State of Alaska, the Alaska Forest Association, or any of its members led to the State’s request for this grant funding? 
   
   
5. Is it permissible for the USFS to grant federal funds to a state to enable it to help convince USDA to grant the rule change it had requested?

Source of News:

Alaska Department Natural Resources
www.dnr.alaska.gov

Office of Governor M. Dunleavy
www.gov.alaska.gov

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
www.stabenow.senate.gov

 

 

 

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