Published: October 2017

Forests bill tramples access to justice

Under the guise of improving forest management, a deceptive piece of legislation actually attack on everyday citizens’ ability to enforce the law. Consumer Action joined legal and environmental groups in a letter opposing HR 2936.

The public’s legal right to challenge government action (or inaction) in federal court is essential as a “check and balance” to the failure of the executive branch to enforce the law as Congress intended. HR 2936, the poorly named “Resilient Federal Forest Act of 2017,” not only fails to improve the quality of public forests by promoting potentially harmful and destructive logging projects, but tramples on access to justice principles by stifling citizens’ ability to seek redress through our courts. This proposal would allow the Department of Agriculture to be both prosecutor and final judge. 

Lead Organization

Alliance for Justice

Other Organizations

Allied Progress | American Association for Justice | American Bird Conservancy | Center for Biological Diversity | Center for Justice & Democracy | Clean Water Action | Conservation Lands Foundation | Consumer Action | Daily Kos | Earthjustice | Endangered Species Coalition | Environmental Law & Policy Center Foundation Earth | Friends of the Earth | Hip Hop Caucus | Hurt Stolz, P.C. | Idaho Conservation League | League of Conservation Voters | Make the Road New York | National Association of Consumer Advocates National Consumer Law Center | Public Citizen | Public Knowledge | Take Back Your Rights PAC | Texas Watch | The Impact Fund | The Wilderness Society | Waterkeeper Alliance | White River Waterkeeper | Woodstock Institute | Workplace Fairness

Download PDF

Forests bill tramples access to justice   (Access2Justice-OPPOSEHR 2936.pdf)