The Supreme Court is set to hear a case that will determine whether logging in the US continues, or whether it is regulated out of business.

Unsurprisingly, the two culprits here are the 9th circuit court and the EPA, both of which organizations apparently believe that wood products should be extremely expensive and sourced from overseas.

The case is Georgia Pacific West vs. Northwest Environmental Defense Center.

From the Washington Times article:

The 9th Circuit ... found that every drainage ditch and culvert on every forest road used by a logger could qualify as a “point source” under the Clean Water Act. Effectively, each pipe and channel directing water sooner or later to a fish-bearing stream must receive a federal permit to operate.

The difference between the BMP and permit systems is simple. BMPs emphasize results. Forest owners and regulators cooperate to make and measure improvements (such as keeping culverts clear of debris so stormwater doesn’t dam up), learning and adapting as new information becomes available. In contrast, permits put a premium on litigation and obstruction.

 The issue here is clear.  If every culvert and ditch needs a federal permit, every culvert and ditch becomes a lawsuit and a way to make it impossible economically to proceed.  It is an environmentalist whacko's dream.  It is a way to end logging completely.

The consequences are enormous both to the cost of the product and to those thousands of people who make their living on logging or it's support services.  Just like the coal industry, the Progs are gunning for a full stop to all logging, and damn the consequences.

These people truly are evil.