Bishop's bill: An RX for overgrown forests?

SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, believes he has the cure for 58 million ailing acres of forests in the nation, and the majority of his colleagues agree with the fix.

Bishop, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, and Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, are chief sponsors of HR2647, which would exempt certain forestry projects of 5,000 acres or less from the environmental review process.

The measure, which also imposes bond requirements for groups that bring lawsuits challenging timber harvests or other forest-related activities, passed the House last week with a 262-167 vote.

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