HEARING ON PUBLIC LAND USE IMPACT ON 

 SMALL BUSINESS 



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1993 



U.S. Senate, 

 Committee on Small Business, 



Rapid City, SD 



The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m. at Howard 

 Johnson Lodge, Hon. Larry Pressler presiding. 



OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LARRY PRESSLER, A U.S. 

 SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA 



Senator Pressler. Good morning. I want to welcome our wit- 

 nesses and everyone else in attendance today. I am pleased to have 

 the opportunity to bring this official U.S. Senate Small Business 

 Committee hearing to Rapid City. 



As you came in this morning, official testimony sheets were 

 available at the sign-in table. I invite all of you to offer written 

 comments that will be entered into the permanent Committee 

 record just as the testimony of today's panelists will be included. If 

 you want to write down in a summary form some opinion or some 

 reaction you have today, I will make it a part of the record. Please 

 give your completed sheets to my staff. 



The economy of this region is extremely dependent upon the 

 Black Hills and the policies that affect the public land in those 

 Hills. What we are discussing today is so important that it tran- 

 scends political boundaries. Entire livelihoods will be affected by 

 government decisions. Republican or Democrat. When it comes to 

 jobs, the people of South Dakota must come first. 



This morning we will examine how changes in forest manage- 

 ment, including wilderness proposals, could impact small business- 

 es. The 63 percent of South Dakota public lands owned by the 

 Forest Service sustain many small businesses, which drive this re- 

 gion's economy. I believe we have a chart here which shows that. 

 It's self-explanatory. The timber industry is a good example of 

 what we're talking about as it depends on public lands for two- 

 thirds of its lumber. 



It is important to point out that the Black Hills National Forest 

 is different from forests in the pacific northwest. Ponderosa Pine 

 trees go well here, too well, in fact. Proper forest management pre- 

 vents forest fires. 



The Black Hills have been well managed for many years based 

 on a multiple use model. In 1983, the first 10-year forest manage- 



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