Judge axes Bush forest road rule

Judge Axes Bush Reversal of Roadless Rule

SAN FRANCISCO, California, September 20, 2006 (ENS) - A federal judge today reinstated a Clinton-era ban on road construction, logging and mining in one-third of U.S national forests, reversing a Bush administration regulation that forced states to petition the federal government for protection of roadless areas.

The Forest Service failed to adequately consider the environmental impacts of replacing the roadless rule with the new regulation, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte wrote in a 55-page ruling.

Betsy Loyless, senior vice president of the National Audubon Society, called the decision "one of the most important conservation victories of the Bush era."

"The court has made clear that this administration failed to follow environmental safeguards laid out in this country's environmental laws, putting millions of acres of pristine forests at risk of logging and drilling," she said. "It's thrilling to see that our precious roadless forests will remain roadless."

Forest Service officials did not have an immediate comment on the ruling, but the Bush administration is likely to appeal the decision.