Clinton soothes timber industry REDDISH KNOB OVERLOOK, Va. (AP) - With the Shenandoah Valley's first tinges of fall color for a backdrop, President Clinton said Wednesday his sweeping plan to place 40 million acres of federal forestland off-limits to development would not harm the timber industry. The remote, largely pristine parcels of land Clinton wants to preserve represent a mere fraction of federally owned forest, he said. Vast reaches of other federal timberland are already available for logging and other development. "It is very important to point out that we are not trying to turn our national forests into museums," Clinton said as he detailed a plan environmentalists call progressive and the timber industry has called reckless. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561619469-b1c> Senators push pesticide legislation WASHINGTON (AP) - Two senators and several environmental groups sought federal legislation Wednesday to ensure parents are told when pesticides are sprayed in and around their children's' schools. "Children are vulnerable to potentially damaging effects of chemical pesticides because their immune systems and nervous systems are still developing," Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., said at a news conference. Despite federal restrictions in some states, pesticides frequently are used at schools in ways where children are exposed, he said. Torricelli and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said they will try to push legislation that would require schools to notify parents 72 hours in advance of pesticide use. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561619939-0c5>
