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Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst reporting The wildfire season hasn't started yet, but sparks are already flying. While crews are in the field setting prescribed burns to reduce the threat, political sparks have been stirred up by President Bush's so-called Healthy Forests Initiative.
President Bush says The Healthy Forests Initiative will eliminate explosive, overgrown vegetation, while critics accuse him of conducting a corporate giveaway of the National Forests.
But let's start in a place where both sides agree.
This is what government people call a "WUI" --The Wildland Urban Interface.
It's where city-folk build homes right in the wildfire threat zone, often expensive homes surrounded by dense vegetation.
Last summer as wildfires swept across the West, Ken French sweated bullets, worrying one might come his way.
Ken French/Cedar Highlands subdivision: "I THINK IT WOULD WIPE THIS SUBDIVISION OUT. AND THE PEOPLE THAT DON'T PROTECT THEIR HOUSES WOULD LOSE THEM."
Government crews have launched a massive clearing program, in many cases to protect WUI subdivisions.
But Ken French took matters into his own hands, personally clearing truckloads of vegetation around his house.
Bureaucrats have been preaching such tactics for years. But many resist, thinking their homes won't look as nice.
KEN FRENCH/CEDAR HIGHLANDS SUBDIVISION: "WELL, I GET A LOT OF COMPLEMENTS ON MINE. AND THEY LIKE THE WAY IT LOOKS, NOW THAT THE UNDERBRUSH IS GONE AND IT'S CLEANED UP TO WHERE IT'S NOT A FIRE HAZARD."
But extend the idea to the National Forests, especially remote areas far from homes, and the controversy begins.
The Bush administration wants to let timber companies thin out 20 million acres, because wildlfires are getting worse each year.
Bob Gardner/Fishlake National Forest: "WE'RE GETTING A LOT MORE ACRES BURNED, WE'RE GETTING A LOT MORE STRUCTURES."
Most controversial is that the Bush legislation would take away opportunities for citizen groups to fight an individual project.
BOB GARDNER/FISHLAKE NATIONAL FOREST: "IT'S GOING TO STREAMLINE THE APPEALS PROCESS. AND IT WILL HELP US EXPEDITE THESE KIND OF PROJECTS."
Environmental critics claim it's a giveaway of the National Forests that has little to do with a legitimate concern about protecting homes. They say wildfire, even catastrophic fire, is healthier for forests than logging.
They argue that each thinning project should be scrutinized on a case-by-case basis to make sure it protects homes, and that shortcircuiting appeals means agencies might ignore environmental concerns.
Denise Boggs/Utah Environmental Congress: "IT'S PAYBACK TIME." (edit)"PRESIDENT BUSH RECEIVED MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM THE TIMBER INDUSTRY."
BOB GARDNER/FISHLAKE NATIONAL FOREST: "IN EVERY PROJECT I THINK WE'RE STILL CONSIDERING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE."
But critics say appeals help keep government agencies in line.
DENISE BOGGS/UTAH ENVIRONMENTAL CONGRESS: "THE FOREST SERVICE DOES NOT OBEY THE LAW. THAT'S WHY THEY GET SUED IN COURT. AND THAT'S WHY THEY, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, LOSE."
The Bush legislation passed the House last week. The Senate's expected to take up the issue soon.
