Forest roadless rule reversed

[Judi Lynn]

Article Published: Friday, May 06, 2005
nation

Forest roadless rule reversed

Governors have 18 months to request preservation of the areas from mining, drilling or logging.

By Steve Lipsher
Denver Post Staff Writer

In one of its most sweeping environmental decisions to date, the Bush administration on Thursday rolled back protections for huge swaths of roadless areas in national forests, potentially opening them for logging, gas exploration and mining.

The long-anticipated reversal of the "roadless rule" gives state governors 18 months to request preservation of any roadless areas under guidelines crafted by the Forest Service. Otherwise, the land will be available for uses spelled out under specific forest-management plans.

"The reality is, the status on the ground tomorrow isn't going to be any different than it was yesterday," said Mark Rey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's undersecretary for natural resources and environment. "We have for the past four years protected (roadless areas) on an interim basis, and we will continue the protection until the state rules are complete."

Environmentalists, however, lambasted the new rule, which overturns an initiative released in the waning days of the Clinton administration that banned development on 58.5 million acres designated as roadless areas in 39 states.
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http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2854669,00.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. Oh LOOK!!! MORE of bush's HEALTHY FORESTS initiative!!!

RAH RAH RAH BUSH!!!

rightwingnuts; stupidest MFers on the planet.

[jukes]

2. one word reply

CALTROPS!

:mad:

[Bigmack]

3. Nobody cares....

the average Murikan doesn't give a shit.

Or maybe the average Murikan has been boned so often that one more time doesn't really make any difference.

Everybody's gotta re-read "The Monkey Wrench Gang"...... Heyduke Lives!