Environmentalists call that a witch hunt.
Rep. Don Young, a Republican who heads the House Committee on Resources, detailed 19 demands in a July 28 letter to Eleanor S. Towns, the Southwest regional Forest Service director based in Albuquerque. He set an Aug. 15 deadline for her response. Young's letter asks for names and professional backgrounds of every Forest Service or Department of Agriculture employee involved in litigation that was the subject of the grazing decision. It also asks for a list of those who approved the settlement and the names of those who briefed or participated in meetings on the matter. He then asks whether the Forest Service is aware of any employees who are involved in or who contribute money to environmental groups including Forest Guardians, the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity, The Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society.