Sherry Chandler

Outsourcing the Forest Service

One of my farflung correspondents pointed me toward this little article at Common Dreams:

WASHINGTON - February 27 - The U.S. Forest Service is studying how to contract out more than two-thirds of its total workforce by 2009, according to agency planning documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Coming on the heels of Bush administration plans to sell off 300,000 acres of Forest Service land, the agency is also looking to potentially privatize large portions of its environmental, law enforcement, fire-fighting and research operations.

Under the agency plans, 21,350 full-time jobs will soon be under review for possible replacement by private sector firms. The Forest Service has a total of 31,625 full-time jobs, according to Office of Personnel Management figures for FY 2003

I don’t know whether this is a case of repeating the same action over and over hoping to get a different result – has this government had a single success with its drive to outsource itself – or just more croneyism. At any rate, with typical Bush logic, they’re asking the Forest Service to revamp while cutting its budget:

In 2003, an outsourcing plan of similar scope, designed to meet Bush administration outsourcing quotas prior to the 2004 election, was halted by Congressional action. Then, as now, one of the major concerns was the added cost to the Forest Service to conduct the studies and stage the competitions. In its latest proposed budget, the Bush administration is cutting back Forest Service operating funds without providing any new funds to pay for this broad undertaking. In 2003, the Forest Service spent an estimated $360 million on studies but produced no identifiable savings.

As a small side note, I know of only one positive thing that the United States has done in its relationship with Afghanistan, and that is to send the Forest Service to help with re-forestation. I know because a friend of mine was involved. This man is a true American hero, a man who fought in Viet Nam then joined the Peace Corps, and who, as an employee of the Forest Service, has worked to preserve our Appalachian forests, fought fires in the west and gone to Afghanistan to help restore that war-torn country. Why would I want to see his job outsourced?

I’ll leave the final word to my correspondent: “Can you imagine Dubai or Saudi managing the Daniel Boone National Forest? I have a feeling ol’ Dan’l is rolling over in his grave.”

One more side note in this comedy of errors, from the NYTimes:

PORT SULPHUR, La., March 11 — In its rush to provide shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has created a pressing new Gulf Coast hazard: nearly 90,000 lightweight trailers in an area prone to flooding, tornadoes and, of course, hurricanes.

…

With hurricane season less than three months away, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in an interview that he too was worried about the situation. Not only are the trailers lightweight, they are often placed next to partly reconstructed homes and debris that can turn into dangerous projectiles when the wind picks up, Mr. Chertoff said.

…

More than 87,100 families in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are living in the FEMA trailers, while only some 2,300 are in the sturdier mobile homes

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