And it's not just right-wingers like McInnis who are itching to use the Daschle rider as a template for a broader assault on the national forests and environmental laws. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a darling of the Sierra Club, announced last week that she intends to seek a similar exemption from environmental lawsuits for logging in California's national forests and may support an amendment that applies the provision to all national forests.
Daschle seems open to the idea. "I think the Black Hills could be a model for the rest of the country," Daschle told the Rapid City Journal in late July.
This is an entirely predictable turn of events. But the Sierra Club remains blindly behind Daschle and refuses to denounce his bill as a mistake. "We appreciate the work of Senators Daschle and Johnson to bring all the parties to the table to hammer out a deal that would ensure the safety of South Dakotans and continued protections for America's National Forests," writes Sierra Club CEO Carl Pope in a defense of the deal. "This is how these matters should be addressed."
Daschle seems open to the idea. "I think the Black Hills could be a model for the rest of the country," Daschle told the Rapid City Journal in late July.
This is an entirely predictable turn of events. But the Sierra Club remains blindly behind Daschle and refuses to denounce his bill as a mistake. "We appreciate the work of Senators Daschle and Johnson to bring all the parties to the table to hammer out a deal that would ensure the safety of South Dakotans and continued protections for America's National Forests," writes Sierra Club CEO Carl Pope in a defense of the deal. "This is how these matters should be addressed."