Senators Query Foundations About Federal Money’s Uses

Two foundations close to the timber industry that received a total of $350-million in federal money as the result of the settlement of a trade dispute with Canada have been asked by a pair of U.S. senators to account for how they have spent the funds, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell, of Washington state, and Max Baucus, of Montana, wrote to the American Forest Foundation and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities to tell them that, while some of the funds may be used to rebuild timber towns, “we must also ensure the environment sustainability of our forests.”

“Good stewardship of these funds must include good stewardship of great American lands,” Senator Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement. “This is an opportunity to prioritize the preservation of our forests for generations to come.”

The foundations’ officials have told the senators that they will report to Congress and the public on how the money is used. Both groups said the money is going toward environmentally friendly projects.