WASHINGTON, DC Idaho Senator Larry Craig, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management, reacted to the draft roadless proposal and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) announced by the Clinton Administration today to restrict access on 54 million acres of public land.

"It's been said that when history repeats itself, it does the first time as tragedy and the second time as farce. The Carter Administration's attempt to unilaterally mandate a national roadless policy outside of Congress with RARE II proved tragic when the federal courts ruled against their attempts. This attempt, to lock up 54 million acres of public land in the twilight of Clinton-Gore Administration, is a sloppy farce.

"My door has been open since 1995 for this Administration to come and work together on the roadless issue and they have avoided every opportunity to do so. If they were really serious about creating a responsible, long-term transportation policy for the nations public lands, they would have done so long before this transparent attempt to create a 'legacy'. They have made a mockery out of the public process and I am confident that this proposal, like its RARE II predecessor, will be thrown out by the courts as well. It will now be up to the next Congress and administration to fix legislatively what the current Administration has horribly mangled."