In one of the most important decisions for public lands in decades, a federal appeals court Friday upheld a Clinton administration rule that bans road-building and logging on roughly a quarter of the country’s national forestland. The unanimous decision could settle one of the most contentious conservation issues of the last decade. The 2001 roadless rule, issued in the final days of the Clinton administration, generated lawsuits, conflicting court opinions and repeal efforts. This was the second ruling by a federal appeals court to uphold the Clinton action. The case could be appealed to the Supreme Court, but environmental attorneys said the ruling is so strong that it probably spells an end to the protracted legal battle over nearly 50 million acres of public forest . The folks at High Country News say that while it doesn’t amount to full wilderness designation, it is at least “Wilderness Lite.” Good news. . . . more>>
Thots and Shots
Mark Bailey
I’m not sure how many of you aware that many Wayne County loggers supported President Clinton’s “moratorium” on logging. They were told it was temporary just to reassess how forest roads were built. The loggers wrote a letter in support of the moratorium because they believed what they were told which, ultimately, was a lie. Their letter immediately became a major tool for the environmental community and the loggers were hurt as they were criticized by their peers. This goes under the classification of “no good deed goes unpunished.” I fear the environmental community is not interested in good faith actions, just in winning at all costs even if it means misusing the good people of Wayne County to achieve their ends.
Hi Ed- Thanks for the comment! It is the first for the THP Broadsheet.
I hope to become a useful member of the environmentalist community and I am only interested in being one in good faith. For example, I’m for the rancher’s right to choose to sell his grazing permit to a conservation agency and have the permit retired — a “golden saddle” for the rancher. No coercion, just individual buyers and sellers in a free market. Right now, ranchers are now allowed that right for some reason.
Send me some more info about what happened to the loggers and the Clinton administration and I’ll post about it. In good faith.
-Mark