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Thursday, June 14, 2001

Nethercutt spoke to legislative aides, reporters and other participants at an ecoterrorism meeting sponsored by Frontiers of Freedom Foundation. The Washington public policy think tank was founded by retired Republican Sen. Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming.

"These environmental terror groups are getting more aggressive - much more aggressive - and I think we need a strong response," Nethercutt told United Press International after the conference. "The three largest organizations, including the Earth Liberation Front, have launched an all-out assault against researchers and scientists in the environmental field, using bombs and other terrorist-style tactics. My greatest fear is that someone is going to get killed."

Nethercutt is introducing the Agro-Terrorism Prevention Act of 2001 (HR 2060) to counteract what he called the latest threat to domestic tranquility.

"They plan to get more active," Nethercutt said. "I introduced the act on or around June 7 and right now it's in the House Judiciary Committee, where its criminal sanctions are under review."

Three weeks ago, Earth Liberation Front burned the corporate offices of commercial tree farm Greenwood Resources in Portland, Ore., and the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle. The UW horticulture school was engaged in genetic research with poplar trees.

"Any person involved in an act of ecoterrorism is looking at a mandatory one- to five-year prison sentence under this bill," Nethercutt said. "If the crime involves firebombing, the sentence increases to a range of five to 20 years. An act of ecoterrorism that results in murder brings a mandatory death sentence.

"We also have a RICO provision to strip these organizations of their funding and assets, if they can be located."

Locating eco-terrorists is problematic, however, Nethercutt said.

"We don't really know how many groups exist, or how many people belong to them," he explained. "I've heard estimates of as few as three groups and as many as 15."

Nethercutt said his bill gets its teeth from mandatory minimums, which might not be imposed if authorities prosecute the terrorists under state and local laws. He said the new law would provide $5 million for security systems in ecological and agricultural research facilities.

"My bill is designed to give relief to institutions and their researchers," Nethercutt said.

Sen. Orrin Hatch tried to introduce similar legislation in 1999 that failed, Nethercutt told UPI, because it was attached as an amendment to a controversial juvenile justice bill.

"I decided to reintroduce the issue because Washington and Oregon recently got hit with ecoterrorist crimes," Nethercutt said.

Speaking at the same conference, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told attendees he regretted the failure of his first attempt to quell the terrorism.

"I was disappointed when my measure did not pass the full Congress," Hatch said. "It became bogged down in an omnibus juvenile justice bill and a contentious gun control debate."

Hatch, however, does not have new legislation of his own proposed, his legislative aide who handles environmental and agricultural issues told UPI.

"We would like to see what can be done with the Nethercutt legislation, but right now we don't have our own bill nor do we have any strategy on this issue," said the Hatch aide, who asked not to be named. "The senate's change of hands has made several things uncertain for us."

Nethercutt was more upbeat.

"There is tremendous support for this across the board," Nethercutt told UPI. "My hope is that we will get this done and signed by the president by October 1."

Nethercutt told UPI he was frustrated by the irony of ecoterrorism.

"One group stole 250 baby ducklings from a research lab and set them loose without food or shelter, who knows where," Nethercutt said. "If you're trying to protect animals and then you blow up a lab full of animals, tell me how that makes sense."

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

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