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Bipartisan Bill Safeguarding America's Roadless Forests



 
May 2007 -   Bills to enshrine the protection of 
58.5 million acres of roadless national forests in law were re-introduced 
in the U.S. House and Senate on Thursday with bipartisan support and the 
backing of conservation groups. 
These roadless areas in 38 states are now at risk of road construction, 
commercial logging, oil and gas drilling and mining exploration, despite a 
rule passed in the final days of the Clinton administration that protected 
them. The Bush administration repealed the rule in 2005 and is fighting a 
court decision overturning the repeal. 
Two million of those roadless acres lie in the national forests of 
Washington state, and it is two Washington Democrats - Congressman Jay 
Inslee and Senator Maria Cantwell - who are leading the legislative push 
to safeguard the roadless areas. 

Washington state's Granite Mountain Roadless Area is inhabited by lynx, 
wolf and grizzly bears and contains the headwaters for many salmon bearing 
streams. 
"Roadless areas make up more than 20 percent of national forest land here 
in Washington state," said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Natural 
Resources Committee. 
"It's irresponsible and shortsighted to let logging, road-building, and 
mining degrade these untouched forests. With so few truly wild and 
pristine public lands left in our country, its time to strike a 
responsible balance and make the roadless rule law," she said. 
"These pristine forests are national treasures that should belong to all 
Americans, not special interests," said Inslee, who has served on the 
House Natural Resources Committee since 1999. "That's why it doesn't 
surprise me that over 90 percent of public comments have been in support 
of the roadless rule." 
Inslee's bill has over 140 House cosponsors; Cantwell's bill is 
cosponsored by Senator John Warner, a Virginia Republican. 
"This bill will preserve some of the most pristine forests of the Southern 
Appalachians for future generations, and will save taxpayers money as 
well," said Warner. 
House cosponsor Congressman Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican, 
said, "By protecting these areas, we can ensure these pristine forests 
provide sources of public drinking water, undisturbed habitats for fish 
and wildlife, and barriers against invasive plant and animal species." 
"This legislation represents a balance between environmental and economic 
concerns," said Shays. "We simply will not have a world to live in if we 
continue our neglectful ways." 
The bill also helps address the fiscal challenge posed by the $8.6 billion 
maintenance and reconstruction backlog on the 386,000 miles of existing 
U.S. Forest Service roads. More roads, in addition to degrading sensitive 
lands, would only add to this backlog, the bill's sponsors say. 
The Roadless Area Conservation Act is endorsed by The Wildlife Society, 
Natural Resources Defense Council, American Lands Alliance, Sierra Club, 
U.S. Public Interest Research Groups, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, 
Audubon Society, National Environmental Trust and the Heritage Forests 
Campaign, among others. 
"We applaud these members for their leadership in protecting our last wild 
forests," said Robert Vandermark, director of the Heritage Forests 
Campaign. "With the administration determined to undermine the Roadless 
Area Conservation Rule and placing our last pristine forests at risk, 
Congressional action to stop these efforts could not be more timely." 

Roadless area on a national forest in Southern Appalachia 
In May 2007 - . 
Despite the legal battle, the petition process is moving forward in some 
states including Idaho, where the state has begun an environmental 
analysis covering 9.3 million acres of roadless areas across Idaho’s 
national forests. 
Governor Butch Otter favors the petition process. "This brings us another 
small step closer to fulfilling the promise of a meaningful role for local 
folks in determining the long-term management of these public lands," 
Governor Otter said in April. "I hope every Idahoan who can do so takes 
the opportunity to weigh in on this plan so our state’s voice is heard." 
Conservationists point out that the National Forest System already 
contains over 380,000 miles of roads and 60,000 miles of unmapped logging 
roads, enough to circle the Earth 17 times. 
Despite the ongoing court battle, the Bush administration is authorizing 
logging of roadless national forests that were included in the 2001 
inventory of lands to be protected. 
On August 7, 2006, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon 
started logging in a roadless area that was protected under the 2001 
roadless rule. 
"The Bush administration continues to promote dangerous activities in 
roadless areas," said US PIRG Forests Advocate Christy Goldfuss. 
"Fortunately, the administration may not get the last word. The American 
people have called for protections for our last wild places, the courts 
have upheld those protections, and now Congress wants to make those 
protections permanent." 
While protecting the last one-third of America's national forests from 
most logging and road-building, the Roadless Area Conservation Act does 
allow new roads to be constructed in order to fight fires and to ensure 
public health and safety. 
Roadless area on California's Sequoia National Forest 
"Roadless forests are vital to maintaining viable populations of wildlife, 
especially large carnivores such as wolves and grizzly bears. These 
forests, where much of our remaining old growth is found, also play an 
important role in the fight against global warming by removing huge 
amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere," said Rodger Schlickeisen, 
president of Defenders of Wildlife. 
America's roadless forests help to define the American identity, says 
Franz Matzner, forest and public land advocate with the Natural Resources 
Defense Council, NRDC. 
"Americans have always been tied to their land, and our natural heritage 
is deeply ingrained in our national character. People see the growing 
impact of development, commercialization and global warming, and they want 
to know there's more out there than another sub-division or concrete 
parking lot," she said.
Sixty million Americans rely on drinking water from the roadless areas 
this bill would protect, the NRDC estimates. In addition, conservationists 
point out that the fishing, hunting, and scenic landscapes these forests 
provide generate millions of dollars for the residents of nearby 
communities. 
NRDC's wildlife expert Louisa Willcox said, "Without the protection 
afforded to grizzly bears, salmon, wolves, and the entire forest ecosystem 
by this legislation, people in these communities stand to lose valuable 
sources of income and all Americans stand to lose innumerable natural 
resources." 

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