Bush plans to relax 'roadless rule'

SFgate ^ | 6/10/03 | Zachary Coile

[CFW]

Washington -- The Bush administration proposed on Monday relaxing a Clinton-era rule that barred road-building and logging on 58 million acres of federal forests, giving governors broad new discretion to determine what lands should be set aside as wilderness.

The proposal would allow Western governors, many of whom opposed the so- called roadless rule, to petition the Forest Service to exempt federal lands in their state from wilderness designation. The agency also plans to eliminate the ban on road building in millions of acres in two national forests in Alaska.

[xrp]

The government should start selling off these federally held lands to private interests to raise money to pay off the federal debt.

[solo gringo]

I raised my children{5} in the west and we were in the parks and forrest each weekend.We loved the outdoors and still do.We thank god ever day of our lives.For clinton to shut the road and passages to our national forrest and parks was and still a crime.The forrest need life in it not just wildlife but people to admire and respect it.Thank you President Bush Our country is lucky to have you for our leader.

[CFW]

But, here is an article from just a few days ago.

Bush administration to allow roadless rule to stand

[MEG33]

I had read that one and was looking for it!Different headlines !

[The Wizard]

Yes, another clinton rule bites the dust, are we seeing a pattern

[SpinyNorman]

It was hailed by environmentalists as a way to protect old-growth forests from logging, mining and other development.

Ah yes, the well thought out endorsements from the same scientific "giants" that thought MTBE was a nice, safe, environmentally correct substitute for tetraethyl lead. I wonder if they are hailing its demise?

[sergeantdave]

"The really valuable trees for logging and for wildlife habitat are these stands of huge old spruce trees that occur in the lower elevation valley bottoms," said Tom Waldo, attorney for Earthjustice. "It's really a small percentage of the forest, but that is where they do the timber sales. It's also the biological heart of the forest because it's the area that's most important for wildlife that depend on old-growth conditions."

Okay, someone from Alaska help me out.

We have "old growth" here on Lake Superior. These sections are veritable wastelands as far as wildlife is concerned. The canopy shades out competitor plant growth and provides little to no food for wildlife and certainly no shelter. Our wildlife lives in newly cleared areas and in second growth spots where there's saplings, berries and lots of small critters living on the forest edge.

So, is the "old growth" in the Tongass different from the rest of the country? Does wildlife in Alaska teem in areas where there's no cover or food?

[firewalk]

bttt

[RicocheT]

"So, is the "old growth" in the Tongass different from the rest of the country? Does wildlife in Alaska teem in areas where there's no cover or food?"

Guess what, the Tongass is already no cover or food (except some lichens and moss) and no trees. That "Eden" the greens say is up there is a wasteland over a huge pool of oil and gas.

[Gary Boldwater]

Good point. Is Bush's flip flop because he acts on principle or is he just pandering for western votes?