Friday, May 18, 2012
Musicians, Forest Industry, Labor, and Environmental groups take stand against bills to undercut U.S. efforts to address illegal loggingAt a hearing last week before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, leading individuals and groups came out strongly opposed to bills that would undermine the U.S. Lacey Act – a key law to help stop global deforestation by combating illegal logging.  Musicians including Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Jack Johnson, Maroon 5, and Bob Weir released a statement in strong support of the Lacey Act and against efforts to undermine the law by some Members of Congress and industry.  This statement joins the strong chorus of supporters for the law, including from the forestry industry, labor unions, and environmental groups who also testified at the hearing in support of the law.
The musician statement was released by Adam Gardner the frontman of the band Guster and founder of Reverb when he testified at the hearing.  These musicians stated:

“Widespread illegal logging is placing at risk the wood we treasure in our musical instruments, and thus the future of music as we know it… We will not buy a new instrument without asking where the wood comes from and if it was harvested legally and sustainably…We support the Lacey Act and other laws that prohibit trade in illegally sourced wood and we oppose the efforts currently underway to weaken the Lacey Act.”  

Read more.
Photo: Deforestation in Indonesia: courtesy of Rainforest Action Network under Creative Commons License.

Musicians, Forest Industry, Labor, and Environmental groups take stand against bills to undercut U.S. efforts to address illegal logging

At a hearing last week before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, leading individuals and groups came out strongly opposed to bills that would undermine the U.S. Lacey Act – a key law to help stop global deforestation by combating illegal logging.  Musicians including Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Jack Johnson, Maroon 5, and Bob Weir released a statement in strong support of the Lacey Act and against efforts to undermine the law by some Members of Congress and industry.  This statement joins the strong chorus of supporters for the law, including from the forestry industry, labor unions, and environmental groups who also testified at the hearing in support of the law.

The musician statement was released by Adam Gardner the frontman of the band Guster and founder of Reverb when he testified at the hearing.  These musicians stated:

“Widespread illegal logging is placing at risk the wood we treasure in our musical instruments, and thus the future of music as we know it… We will not buy a new instrument without asking where the wood comes from and if it was harvested legally and sustainably…We support the Lacey Act and other laws that prohibit trade in illegally sourced wood and we oppose the efforts currently underway to weaken the Lacey Act.” 

Read more.

Photo: Deforestation in Indonesia: courtesy of Rainforest Action Network under Creative Commons License.