Federal judge: Bush administration violated major environmental laws

Portland, OR - In a long-awaited ruling, a Federal District Court judge today declared the Bush administration’s nullification of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule illegal and ordered the US Forest Service to reinstate it. The 2001 Rule, which protected over 58 million acres of national forest land from logging, mining and roadbuilding, was overturned by the Bush administration in May 2005.

“It’s a great day for Americans who value, public wildlands, and the clean water and wildlife they provide” proclaimed Jay Ward, Conservation Director of Oregon Natural Resources Council.  Ward continued, “Thanks to Governor Kulongoski and the states of New Mexico and California, future generations of Americans will be able to use and enjoy these irreplaceable forests.”

Oregon Wild was a co-plantiff on one of the two lawsuits considered by federal judge Elizabeth Laporte.

Judge Laporte ruled that in overturning the 2001 Rule, the Bush administration violated major federal  environmental laws including the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to adequately analyze environmental options and by ignoring probable impacts on endangered fish and wildlife.

“The Bush administration took way too many short-cuts in their rush to clear cut,” said Jeremiah Baumann, OSPIRG Environmental Advocate. “Our most pristine national forests are once again safe from destructive logging, mining, and oil drilling.”

Opposition to the Bush policy was widespread in the Western US, with hunting and fishing groups, conservationists and members of the burgeoning outdoor recreation industry speaking out for roadless area protections.

Last September, the states of Oregon, California and New Mexico joined conservation groups, including Oregon Wild, in suing the federal government to restore the 2001 Rule.

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