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May 28, 2009
INCREASED
PROTECTIONS ANNOUNCED
FOR PRISTINE ROADLESS AREAS
IN NATIONAL FORESTS
Secretary of
Agriculture Will Review Any Projects Slated for Roadless Areas,
Giving Added Layer of Protection for More than 600,000 Acres in
Los Padres
Today,
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that any road
building or logging in roadless areas would need to be reviewed
and approved by his office. The year-long policy shifts
decisions away from the U.S. Forest Service as the
administration considers enacting nation-wide safeguards for our
nation’s roadless areas.
Roadless
areas represent the last undeveloped, unprotected lands in
national forests across the country. These pristine lands have
no roads or development, providing large blocks of intact
habitat for rare wildlife, clean water supplies for local
communities, and vast wide-open landscapes for hiking,
bicycling, and a host of other recreational pursuits.
"This interim
directive will provide consistency and clarity that will help
protect our national forests until a long-term roadless policy
reflecting President Obama's commitment is developed," Vilsack
said in a statement.
Protection of
roadless areas has been in a state of flux ever since President
Clinton issued the Roadless Area Conservation Rule shortly
before leaving office in 2001. The so-called “Roadless Rule”
protected nearly 60 million acres of national forest land from
logging and other development, including 600,000 acres of the
Los Padres National Forest. It touched off several legal
battles, with some courts upholding the Clinton rule and other
courts striking it down. The Bush administration repealed the
rule in 2005 and replaced it with a state-by-state process that
left roadless areas unprotected and was also overturned by the
courts. As it currently stands, the Clinton-era rule applies to
ten Western states, including California, and several lawsuits
are still winding their way through the appeals process.
Conflicting
court decisions on the rule have made it difficult for the
Forest Service "to do its job," USDA said. While the interim
policy does not prohibit roads and development in roadless
areas, it will provide an added layer of review while several
pending court cases proceed. In addition, conservation
organizations including ForestWatch have asked the
administration and members of Congress to permanently protect
our nation’s roadless areas.
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