Since enacted, the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule) has encountered fierce resistance from the timber industry, anti-conservation states, and the Bush administration.  After a series of on-going court battles, the Bush administration repealed the Roadless Rule in 2004.  The new Bush administration policy, introduced in 2004 but not enacted until May of 2005, removed important conservation protections for backcountry roadless lands by allowing logging, mining, drilling, and road building to occur.

Oregon Makes a Stand

Since the new Bush administration rule took effect in May of 2005, thousands of Oregonians have spoken out against the new policy.   Prominent outdoor recreation groups, businesses, and conservation groups, including Oregon Wild, also voiced their concerns by sending letters to the head of the US Forest Service highlighting the importance of roadless areas to the state's economy, quality of life, fish and wildlife, and outdoor recreation.

Governor Ted Kulongoski, who has called Oregon's roadless areas "priceless treasures," asked the Bush administration to promptly reinstate Roadless Rule protections for Oregon's roadless areas.  The Bush administration denied Governor Kulongoski's request.

In August of 2005, Governor Kulongoski and the State of Oregon joined California and New Mexico in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the new Bush rule.  Shortly thereafter, Washington and Montana also joined the lawsuits.

Recognizing that the Bush administration had likely broken the law with its new policy, Oregon Wild and several other conservation groups also filed a court challenge.

On September 20, 2006, a federal judge ruled on both the states' and conservationists' lawsuits, finding that the Bush administration had indeed broken the law.  The judge ruled that Bush administration officials had failed to comply with important federal environmental laws when  repealing the 2001 Roadless Rule.  In particular, the judge found that the Bush administration had violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Because the Bush administration had acted illegally, the judge reinstated the original 2001 Roadless Rule, thereby protecting, once again, pristine roadless lands in our National Forests.

Within days of the September 20th ruling, the timber industry announced they intent to appeal the federal court's decision.

A Look at Oregon's Roadless Wild Lands

Common Sense Protections: The 2001 Roadless Rule