Tzarina
May 6th, 2005, 12:40 AM
Link (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-05-05-bush-forests_x.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno)
Bush removes logging barrier
By Tom Kenworthy, USA TODAY
The Bush administration on Thursday overturned one of the most significant land conservation measures of the Clinton presidency: a ban on roads, logging and development on 58.5 million acres of national forests. The move could open large pristine areas to industry.
The so-called roadless rule had affected 31% of all national forest land, mostly in Alaska and the West — an area about one-third the size of Texas.
President Clinton had put the far-reaching initiative in place in the final days of his administration. The Bush administration suspended it soon after taking office. Thursday's action was the final step in abandoning it.
A new rule gives governors 18 months to propose to the Agriculture Department which national forest land should be left untouched and which should be opened for other uses.
Though 38 states have some areas of national forests without roads, 97% of the land at issue is located in 12 Western states.
If a governor proposes no changes, the land would be managed according to 10-year guidelines set by each national forest. Under those existing guidelines, nearly 60% of the 58.5 million acres of roadless forest could be immediately opened for development. The remainder is guaranteed protection until a forest's guidelines are revised.
Giving states more control over how federal lands are managed represents a significant departure from decades of practice and could result in wide variations.
"To me, it ends up with a fragmented policy," said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor.
But Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey said efforts dating back 40 years have failed. He said the views of state officials and local residents on how national forest land should be used have been ignored, inviting lawsuits.
Since the Bush administration first outlined its proposal last year, all six Democratic governors in the West — representing Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming — have criticized it to varying degrees. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal called the new rule "a costly exercise in futility."
Western Republicans have been far more receptive. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne called it a "much better process for managing" forests.
But Niel Lawrence of the Natural Resources Defense Council said the Clinton rule "protected many of the last, best wild lands the American public owns."
I live in the forest... :knight:
Bush removes logging barrier
By Tom Kenworthy, USA TODAY
The Bush administration on Thursday overturned one of the most significant land conservation measures of the Clinton presidency: a ban on roads, logging and development on 58.5 million acres of national forests. The move could open large pristine areas to industry.
The so-called roadless rule had affected 31% of all national forest land, mostly in Alaska and the West — an area about one-third the size of Texas.
President Clinton had put the far-reaching initiative in place in the final days of his administration. The Bush administration suspended it soon after taking office. Thursday's action was the final step in abandoning it.
A new rule gives governors 18 months to propose to the Agriculture Department which national forest land should be left untouched and which should be opened for other uses.
Though 38 states have some areas of national forests without roads, 97% of the land at issue is located in 12 Western states.
If a governor proposes no changes, the land would be managed according to 10-year guidelines set by each national forest. Under those existing guidelines, nearly 60% of the 58.5 million acres of roadless forest could be immediately opened for development. The remainder is guaranteed protection until a forest's guidelines are revised.
Giving states more control over how federal lands are managed represents a significant departure from decades of practice and could result in wide variations.
"To me, it ends up with a fragmented policy," said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor.
But Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey said efforts dating back 40 years have failed. He said the views of state officials and local residents on how national forest land should be used have been ignored, inviting lawsuits.
Since the Bush administration first outlined its proposal last year, all six Democratic governors in the West — representing Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming — have criticized it to varying degrees. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal called the new rule "a costly exercise in futility."
Western Republicans have been far more receptive. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne called it a "much better process for managing" forests.
But Niel Lawrence of the Natural Resources Defense Council said the Clinton rule "protected many of the last, best wild lands the American public owns."
I live in the forest... :knight: