Clinton Takes Protection of Forest "Roadless" Areas to New Heights

By Traci Robinson, Web Coordinator,
(301) 897-8720, ext. 155; Fax: (301) 897-3690; e-mail: robinsot@safnet.org

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On October 13, President Clinton issued an executive order designed to permanently ban logging, road building and other development on at least 40 million acres of national forests (Greenwire, 10/13).

The order directed the USDA Forest Service to "develop, and propose for public comment, regulations to provide appropriate long-term protection for most or all of these currently inventoried 'roadless' areas, and to determine whether such protection is warranted for any smaller 'roadless' areas not yet inventoried" (Memorandum for the Secretary of Agriculture, 10/13) (Greenwire, 10/13).

Under the order, the future implementation of the forest protection plan could be carried out without congressional action. The President has given the Forest Service the authority to issue regulations expected to be released next spring on how to manage the land following a detailed environmental review and public comments. It is believed that the broad environmental review, which is defined in the order, will essentially ban the development of new roads (AP/The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/13) (MSNBCNEWS, 10/11).

Environmentalists are calling the order "one of the most important in decades." According to Richard Hoppe, spokesperson for the Heritage Forests Campaign, "It would be one of the most significant land conservation actions by the United States government in its history. It's certainly on par with creating the national park system or with setting aside the public lands in Alaska" (AP/The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/13).

According to William H. Banzhaf, Executive Vice-President of the Society of American Foresters, the announcement missed an opportunity to address a more pressing issue. "The purpose of the 18-month road building moratorium was to decide what to do about an aging and neglected national forest road system. The decision does little to address existing roads, and does nothing to address the mission of one of the nation's premier natural resource management agencies. Announcements like this one highlight the need for a national dialogue on the purposes of the national forests" (SAF Press Release, 10/13).

The timber industry has criticized the plan stating that it would increase the risk of forest fires and insect infestation in dozens of forests and force the continued use of logging imports that keep Americans out of work (MSNBCNEWS, 10/11).

Many small timber firms who cannot afford the additional transportation and labor costs to import goods were already struggling to stay in business (MSNBCNEWS, 10/11).

"The way Clinton is running the US Forest Service with these new policies, we won't survive more than one or two years," said Jim Hurst, president of Owen and Hurst in Eureka, Montana. "We are hanging on by a thread" (MSNBCNEWS, 10/11).

Republican lawmakers from the west did not wait until the release of the order to take action. A letter, signed by 38 Republican members of the House and the Senate, went to USDA Forest Service Chief Michael Dombeck stating that "We cannot stand by idly and watch our constituents lose the right to travel on the land they own" (LAtimes.com, 10/13).

In addition, Congressional Republicans are planning to use an "obscure" law to stop the plan. Under this law, federal officials are required to consider costs when considering the benefits of new regulations" (Greenwire, 10/13).

Administration officials are hoping that the "forest initiative will give Clinton a permanent environmental legacy, a yardstick upon which his presidency's conservation and environmental record will be measured." To that end, the order was crafted in such a way that it will be difficult for a future president to reverse (AP/The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/13).

Click here for SAF's reaction to Clinton's proposed plan.