Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Environmentalists Protest Bush's New Forest Thinning Program

Aired August 22, 2002 - 14:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is doing some stumping in the Oregon wilderness today. He is pushing his healthy forest initiative, a plan that he says will protect the nation's wildfires from fires. Environmentalists counter that it's a plan to benefit the logging industry. John King is following the president and joins us live from Central Point, Oregon -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And Anderson, you just mentioned that Biscuit (ph) Fire. Nearly 500,000 acres of Oregon burning. Air Force One swooped in low and dipped a little bit so the president could get a look at the devastation as he arrived here in Oregon earlier today. As we speak, the president is at a place called Squires Peak, another fire sight here in Oregon. It is there he will talk with some firefighters and other community leaders, and then he will come here to Central Point in a little while to outline that new forest initiative.

The president wants to waive some federal regulations to make it much easier for the government and logging interests and others to go into forests and thin them out, remove old dead timber, remove other combustible materials, including small trees from some areas.

The president says this is a long overdue policy that must be done so that there aren't so many severe forest fires down the road. As you noted, though, many environmentalists disagree. In Portland here in Oregon earlier today, demonstrators taking to the street saying this president's policy will not help the forests, it will help the logging and the timber industries. On the president's side, though, are several Western governors, those hit hardest by the devastating forest fires this year.

Six million acres have burned this year in the United States. That is more than twice the national average over the past decade. Six million acres. The president will say thinning forests is one way to prevent such devastation in the future. But yet again, this president finds himself in a fight with some major environmental groups -- Anderson.

COOPER: John, anything else on the agenda today for the president?

KING: It is not just forest policy. Here in Oregon, the president will raise about $900,000 to help benefit the Republican senator here, Gordon Smith. He is up for re-election. Then it is on to California tomorrow, where over two days the president will raise about $3 million for Bill Simon. He is the Republican candidate for governor. He is struggling in his race against the Democratic incumbent Gray Davis.

Many thinking perhaps the White House would pull out of that race, since Mr. Simon is behind. The White House saying today no. All this part of the president's effort between now and the November elections. This weekend he will pass the $110 million dollar mark in raising money for Republicans for the mid-term elections -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right, John King live from Oregon. Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com