Conservation Groups Sue Federal Government

Three conservation groups are suing the federal government over a decision to give $350-million to forestry foundations, charging that the money illegally bypassed the U.S. Treasury and Congress, reports the Associated Press.

The lawsuit was filed last week in the U.S. District Court, in Seattle, against the office of the U.S. trade representative, the U.S. Commerce Department, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Plaintiffs included the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Northwest, and the Forest Stewardship Council-United States.

At the center of the case is $350-million in contributions made by Canada to settle a 2006 lumber trade dispute. Officials at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative chose which timber groups would receive the donations, and the conservation groups allege that since the money was distributed without congressional approval or public process, it was a form of money laundering.

Peter Goldman, director of the Washington Forest Law Center and a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the way the payments were made violated federal laws because money owed to the United States in the settlement of a lawsuit is supposed to go directly to the U.S. Treasury.

Gretchen Hamel, a spokeswoman for the U.S. trade representative, said that her office does not comment on pending litigation.