What's New
On Sept. 20, 2006, Judge
Elizabeth Laporte of the Northern District of California
overturned the Bush administration’s repeal of protections for nearly
60 million acres of pristine national forest lands. Judge Laporte found
that the Bush administration’s rule violated the National Environmental
Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and Administrative Procedures Act.
Brief Summary
Our national forests protect clean water, preserve undisturbed
wildlife habitat, and provide backcountry recreational opportunities
for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, only a mere fraction of these
forests remains undisturbed by extractive industries: 16,000 miles of
roads already traverse their acreage.
In 2001, Environment
Connecticut and their allies won a remarkable victory with the
enactment of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which placed 56
million acres of pristine forest land off-limits to road-building,
mining, and virtually all logging.
Unfortunately, the Bush Administration stripped away this
vital protection in an effort to give away these pristine forests to
the timber industry and other powerful special interests.
Fortunately, a recent federal court decision by Judge
Elizabeth LaPorte blocked the Bush Administrations efforts and
reinstated the protections established by the 2001 Roadless Rule. The
decision was a huge victory in the fight to preserve America’s natural
heritage.
