| Copy of: NEWS RELEASE--Idaho Files Roadless Lawsuit
BLUE RIBBON COALITION, INC. NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Don Amador PHONE:
925.625.2551 RECREATION GROUP APPLAUDS STATE OF IDAHO’S SUIT AGAINST THE FS FOR DEFICIENT PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD POCATELLO, ID -- The state of Idaho filed a lawsuit on December 30, 1999 against the USDA Forest Service for failing to provide sufficient time for the state to comment on the Forest Service’s proposal to close roads in yet to be defined “roadless” areas. This action by Idaho’s Attorney General, Al Lance, and Governor Dirk Kempthorne is meant to give the people of that state a reasonable amount of time to review and understand the Clinton/Gore roadless directive. The Blue Ribbon Coalition and many other multiple-use recreation and resource groups have asked for extensions on the comment period because there are several other parallel planning efforts that are complicating this issue and frustrating the public’s ability to fully participate. According to Governor Kempthorne, "As President of the Land Board, I'm extremely concerned about what this proposal could mean for Idaho's children. If the Clinton Administration has its way, many of our state's public trust lands could be severely devalued which directly affects the foundation for school funding in our state. The way to prevent that is for the federal government to put all of the information on the table, so that everyone has an opportunity for thorough review and comment. So far, that clearly hasn't happened." Don Amador, the western regional representative for the Blue Ribbon Coalition, said, “The Coalition applauds the state of Idaho’s lawsuit and effort to see that local governments and publics are legitimately included in the Forest Service’s decision making process regarding the roadless issue.” Amador concludes, “The lawsuit by Idaho and the many statements by residents and county governments regarding the lack of outreach of the current roadless process should be a signal to the Administration that they are doing a great disservice to the American people. I hope the President listens.”
The Blue Ribbon Coalition is a national 501 (c) (3) non-profit advocacy group that champions responsible multiple-use of public lands. It represents over 550 businesses and organizations with 600,000 members. |