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State Environmentalists
Oppose Bush Forest Plan
ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) condemned the
recent decision by the Bush administration to repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation
Rule, which prohibited most road building and resource extraction on 58.5 million
acres of National Forests. The decision will open up some of the last remaining public
wild lands to logging, road building, and mining. The White House decision eliminates
federal protections for almost 59 million acres of national forest lands -- or close
to one third of the lands managed by the Forest Service -- and allows state governors
to dictate the amount of protection some of our nation's last wild places will receive.
In Minnesota, the policy affects 62,000 acres in Superior National Forest. If Gov.
Tim Pawlenty chooses to protect the affected lands, he must make a formal request
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which the agency may reject or ignore.
"(This) decision flies in the face of where the overwhelming majority of Americans
stand on this issue," said Matt Norton, Forestry Advocate for MCEA. "Millions
of us across the country wrote comments supporting the protection of the last roadless
areas in our National Forests. Americans cherish our National Forests because they
represent an integral part of our nation's heritage, and we recognize their value
as important wild places in our country."
The Roadless Rule was finalized in January 2001 after years of scientific study,
600 local public hearings and meetings and a record number of public comments. During
a public comment period held last fall, the American people submitted more than 1.75
million comments urging the Administration to abandon its plan to reverse the rule
and uphold the original Roadless Rule as promised four years ago this week. The total
number of comments by the American people over the years in support of protecting
roadless areas amounts to well over 4 million.
"Faced with nature's bounty, this administration has chosen mining and logging
interests over the best interests of our country's people and future generations,"
Norton said. "The Administration has ignored public input and shirked its responsibility
to protect our National Forests. Rare wildlife and the men and women who prefer the
backcountry experience in these last unprotected roadless forests are the big losers
today.
Under the Bush plan, state governors are required to petition the Forest Service
with recommendations in order for roadless areas in their states to be considered
for protection. The petitions are nonbinding and the Forest Service is free to accept,
reject or modify them at will. According to MCEA, this plan is a wholesale reversal
of protection for nearly 60 million acres of America's last intact wild forests.
As much as 34.3 million acres could be put at risk for road construction if governors
submit no petitions or they are rejected, according Forest Service estimates.
Norton noted, "Governor Pawlenty must now step up to the plate to show his commitment
to environmental protection in Minnesota and petition for wilderness protection in
the Superior National Forest."
For more than 30 years, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy has been
the legal and scientific voice protecting and defending Minnesota's environment.
Contact the MCEA at (651) 223-5969 or visit www.mncenter.org |
| June 2005 |
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