petition to reinstate original roadless rule

[montana500]

www.wilderness-sportsman.com


"October 11, 2005 (Washington, DC) - Seventy-five environmental groups around the country announced today that they will mount a petition campaign to reinstate the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule overturned by the Bush administration in one of its most controversial environmental decisions.

The announcement comes as pressure mounts on the federal government to reinstate the protections that limited logging, mining and other destructive activities on nearly 60 million acres of wild national forests.

The Bush administration change was announced in May 2005, when it reversed its own pledge to uphold the 2001 rule. Opponents of the Bush policy say the change is sparking deforestation in an ever-shrinking portion of national forests that remain intact and wild. Budget hawks have also complained that road-building and maintenance costs increase the deficit with no benefit to taxpayers."

[AmyDeLune]

1. Signed & kicked n/t

[Bru]

2. Signed, passed along to friends, and kicked

I do environmental work in Juneau, and this has deep implications for the Tongass NF, where there are over 50 timber sales in IRAs planned for the next 10 years, despite no market demand for them.

Thanks for posting this, montana!

[montana500]

3. thx folks!

nm