THE OWNERSHIP SOCIETY….The Washington Post reports that the Bush administration plans to sign an eleventh hour agreement allowing a timber company in Montana to pave roads passing through Forest Service land. Why? Apparently because we’re suffering from a housing shortage:
The shift is technical but with large implications….As Plum Creek has moved into the real estate business, paving those roads became a necessary prelude to opening vast tracts of the company’s 8 million acres to the vacation homes that are transforming landscapes across the West.
Scenic western Montana, where Plum Creek owns 1.2 million acres, would be most affected, placing fresh burdens on county governments to provide services, and undoing efforts to cluster housing near towns.
Impeccable timing as always from the Bush administration. What better time than now to provide a free gift to the homebuilding industry?
