| Copy of: News Release-- Forest Council Blasts Roadless Agenda
BLUE RIBBON COALITION, INC. NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Council notes that this centralized "one-size-fits-all" prescription bypasses the current planning process of local decision making that is based on site-specific studies. The sharply worded communiqué said that the Roadless Area Initiative, according to the latest figures , will designate another 54 million acres as permanent roadless areas. The proposed roadless additions are expansive, more than doubling the amount of area that will no longer be available for multiple-use. They also note that the decisions leading to this initiative were neither open nor transparent, and the Administration made no effort to gather consensus. The Council asks that a moratorium be placed on this initiative. According to Don Amador, the western regional representative for the Blue Ribbon Coalition, “The Council's letter against the Clinton/Gore roadless agenda illustrates the high level of frustration that exists in a large number of career agency professionals.” “In the face of mounting opposition to the roadless directive, I wonder how long the administration will continue to try and foist this land lock-up proposal on the American public.,” Amador concludes. |