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Defenders Magazine
Defenders in Action: Court Reinstates Clinton-Era Protections for Natural Forests
of the national forests in 38 states where large
swaths of land will be permanently off limits to
road building and logging - against the will of
the Bush administration
In a major victory for environmentalists this fall, a federal court reinstated the "roadless rule," a Clinton-era ban on road building and logging in nearly a third of national forests in 38 states. President Bush repealed the rule after taking office in 2001.
The rule was initially adopted after more than 600 public hearings and 2.5 million public comments in favor of the plan. But the Bush administration quickly junked the plan and later required individual states to petition the federal government to protect specific areas—requests that the U.S. Forest Service could simply deny.
After a five-year battle by a coalition of environmental groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, a federal judge ruled in favor of the roadless supporters, saying that the Forest Service had violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act by not evaluating the environmental consequences of the repeal.
The issue is not settled, however—the state of Wyoming has already filed a lawsuit to reinstate an earlier ruling by a state judge that suspended the original roadless rule. Defenders and other conservation groups are opposing this effort.
"The existence of some forests without roads is the reason some of our most imperiled species, like grizzly bears, wolves and wolverines, can still be found in the continental United States," says Mike Leahy, staff attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. "Long-term protection for our remaining roadless habitats is a must for wildlife conservation."
