The Fiscal 1995 Rescissions Bill, H.R. 1158, proposed $17.4 billion in spending cancellations for budget accounts already approved by the previous Congress. Contravening the thrust of the legislation, Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) authored a section to increase spending to increase logging on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. To guarantee that the trees would be cut, the artfully-worded provision would suspend all federal environmental laws to log the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest and "salvage" log at least 6.2 billion board feet of trees affected by wildfire or insect infestation -- expressly allowing the cutting of healthy trees.

Rep. Sidney Yates (D-IL), ranking minority member of the Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction, offered an amendment to strike the Taylor language, thus restoring the agencies allowable harvest levels and requiring that logging operate under applicable environental laws. On March 15, 1995, the Yates amendment was defeated 150 - 275. YES is the pro-environment vote.

President Clinton vetoed H.R. 1158 on June 7, 1995, but signed a similar bill on July 27, 1995.