Fighting over Forests

Public Broadcasting Service program NOW travels to southeast Idaho to investigate how a proposed change in the rule threatens to open thousands of acres of pristine public lands to private development.

Will a Bush Administration effort open hundreds of thousands of acres of public land to private development?

Signed by President Bill Clinton in 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects nearly 60 million acres of the country's national forest lands from most road building, mining and logging. Over the last seven years, the Bush administration has tried to amend or repeal the landmark regulation to give states more flexibility. NOW travels to southeast Idaho to investigate how a proposed change in the rule threatens to open thousands of acres of pristine public lands to private development. In the report, NOW speaks to representatives from the ranching, environmental, and mining communities, as well an administration official. Who gets to control the fate of Idaho's vast roadless forests? Find out how you can help shape the answer.

Watch the video here.