|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2006
Contact:
Paul Hughes, executive director: (415) 974-4201; paul@forestsforever.org
Marc Lecard, communications manager: (415) 974-4202; marc@forestsforever.org
Citizens petition Forest Service to reinstate roadless protections
Olympians join effort to end administration’s logging
and drilling efforts
WASHINGTON, DC – The Bush administration has been petitioned
by more than one-quarter million Americans to reinstate the 2001
Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and reverse one of the Bush administration’s
most controversial environmental decisions.
In an unprecedented move, conservationists, concerned Americans
and over 100 current and former Olympians employed the Administrative
Procedures Act (APA) to petition for a policy reversal. (Local information
on petitioners and athletes is available at http://www.ourforests.org/threats/petition.html.)
The APA allows citizens to request that the government issue, amend
or revoke federal rules. Backers say the unusual step was necessary
after the Bush administration failed to account for overwhelming
public support for retaining the 2001 rule evidenced during a public
comment period drive. Traditionally, citizen participation is limited
to comments during rulemakings, but according to conservationists,
the comments of 1.7 million Americans were largely ignored by the
Bush administration in their repeal of the rule.
“California’s roadless areas play a critical role in
protecting our waterways, including the Kern River where I trained
for the 2004 Summer Olympics,” said Rebecca Giddens, Olympic
kayaker and 2004 silver medalist.”
Jon Root, member of the USA Volleyball Team in 1988, said “California
is home to some of America’s top world-class athletes and
most spectacular national forests. I hope Gov. Schwarzenegger sees
fit to join our team and take action to ensure our roadless forests
remain wild.”
In a letter to the Forest Service, the more than 100 local and national
conservation groups who organized the drive demanded a prompt response
to the petition as required by law. The groups said the government
not only ignored strong public support for the rule, but may have
skirted federal environmental law. These legal violations are the
subject of two lawsuits in federal court.
“This petition will remind the Bush administration that people
meant what they said when they protested the repeal of the roadless
rule. Americans overwhelmingly support retaining the rule, and protecting
our last wild, roadless areas,” said Paul Hughes, executive
director of Forests Forever in San Francisco.
Critics say the administration’s substitute policy, which
allows governors to submit plans for roadless areas in their states
is unwieldy, causes uncertainty and is expensive. They also contend
the process shuts out the views of Americans who do not live in
states with roadless areas but support their conservation. Today’s
announcement comes as pressure mounts in Congress, the courts and
the general public to reinstate the protections that limited logging,
drilling, and other destructive activities on nearly 60 million
acres of wild national forests, including 4.5 million acres in California.
A Senate bill will be introduced shortly by Senators Maria Cantwell
(D-WA) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to codify the 2001 roadless rule
into federal law. Last July, 145 members of Congress introduced
a similar bill in the House. In addition a federal suit has been
filed on behalf of three state attorneys general and two governors
from four western states– California, New Mexico, Washington
and Oregon – challenging the legality of the Bush policy.
Montana and Maine joined last week filing a brief in support of
the suit. A second legal challenge was also filed on behalf of 20
conservation groups. (Learn more about this lawsuit at https://www.forestsforever.org/roadlessuit.html)
A copy of the letter submitted by over 100 groups supporting the
petition drive, and more information on the roadless rule and roadless
areas can be found at http://www.ourforests.org/threats/petition.html
–
30 –
|