WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today sent a letter, signed by 165 of his colleagues, to President Clinton urging him to protect roadless areas within National Forests.

"We urge you to take decisive action to protect the remaining roadless areas in our national forests," Hinchey and his colleagues wrote. "Safeguarding these scenic wild areas that provide premier habitat for fish and wildlife, protect the greatest reserves of diverse plant life, and offer our people an abundant supply of clean drinking water and unique opportunities for outdoor recreation is of great interest to our constituents."

Currently, more than half of the Forest Service's 191 million acres is available for logging, mining, oil and gas, and other kinds of development. These lands already have 383,000 miles of roads, or enough roads to build eight interstate highway systems. The goal of the signers, who are both Democrats and Republicans, is to protect the remaining 60 million acres of wilderness.

In February, the Forest Service initiated an 18-month moratorium on road construction in most of the National Forests so it could develop a new policy on road-building and maintenance. While that should help protect forests, Hinchey's letter requests that the President go beyond solely road-building and take this opportunity to consider a broader policy on safeguarding these remaining roadless areas.