Bush Opens Back Door for Logging National Forests

EarthJustice has accused the Bush Administration of slyly defying a federal court decision, as it implements new rules governing national forests.

The 2005 National Forest Management Act would have reduced the need for environmental impact studies before new projects are undertaken, and changed the way the public comments on proposed changes to the way the 193-million acre National Forest System is managed. It would have replaced wildlife protection provisions in the 1982 act approved by President Reagan.

In other words, the new rules would allow for easier logging of forests owned by the American people, while giving the public less oversight of decisions made about the use of those forests, which cover an area roughly the size of California and Montana combined.

Those regulations were invalidated by federal court, but now could be implemented in a different regulatory manner, according to EarthJustice and the Center for Biological Diversity, environmental groups that frequently sues with the backing of coalitions of other environmental groups. Another lawsuit is imminent.

Fourteen groups filed suit against the latest Forest Service initiative. “The Forest Service violated the law in preparing new rules in 2000 and 2005, and the 2008 rule is also fatally flawed,” said Paul Spitler, attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Forest Service should stop wasting resources and develop a rule that ensures protection for the fish, wildlife, and other resources in our national forests."