Posted on 05/05/2005 8:34:54 AM PDT by nypokerface
WASHINGTON - Governors are being given 18 months to change the Bush administration's plan to open up to 58.5 million acres of remote national forestland to road building, timbering and other commercial activity.
In one of its biggest environmental decisions, the administration will let governors petition for more or fewer restrictions against developing nearly a third of the 191 million acres of national forests, according to briefing documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The U.S. Forest Service planned to announce the new "roadless" rule later Thursday. It replaces one that former President Clinton had put in place little more than a week before leaving office in January 2001. Clinton's regulation blocked road construction as a way to prevent logging, mining and other industry activities in the backcountry.
The Forest Service, which will review and have final say over the petitions, calls the new process voluntary. "If a governor does not want to propose changes ... then no petition need be submitted," the agency says in the documents.
As much as 34.3 million acres could be immediately opened to road construction if governors submit no petitions or they are rejected, the Forest Service estimates.
The other 24.2 million acres currently are off-limits to road building under existing forest management plans. But environmentalists say the new rule would let the administration rewrite those plans to lift restrictions against development on most of that forestland.
BTTT!!!!!!
BTT!!!!!!
Still not what I'd like to see, but better than what we had under His Slickness.
Good to "see" ya around!
Yes, Thank you!
regards,
-Lance
More logging ~ NOW!
The "pristine" forest envirowackos are just stupid anti human obstructionists. Mom nature will not be ruled, the forests will be used and replenished, it is only a question of what they will be used for, the generation of building material or the generation of ashes.
When enviros win, they lose, when they lose, humans win, the only constant winner is mother nature.
Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to take my '02 Wrangler into the back country. By all means, log these areas, and reduce the fire danger. I am all for opening the woods to recreational use, as long as it is responsible use. I don't want to see tundra turned into bog, for instance, or jeep roads turned into playgrounds for the 'let's see how muddy I can get my jeep' crowd. Hopefully the people using the back roads will stay on the roads. If not, I can still walk in.
"She's a Lumberjill and she's O.K....." /sarcasm
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