Roadless Rule Wins

Great News: The Roadless Rule will be reinstated nationwide under a U.S. District Court Judge ruling today.

In Wilderness Society v U.S. Forest Service, Judge Elizabeth LaPorte of the U.S. District Court Northern District of California ruled that:

"The State Petitions Rule is set aside and the Roadless Rule ... is reinstated. Defendants are enjoined from taking any further action contrary to the Roadless Rule without undertaking environmental analysis consistent with this opinion."

In short, Judge Laporte ruled that the Bush Administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act when it repealed the 2001 Roadless Rule. The court reinstated the 2001 Rule nationwide and enjoined any management activity contrary to the Rule, except in the Tongass National Forest. The court did not extend the Rule's protections to the Tongass because the Bush Administration had previously exempted the Tongass through a lawsuit settlement with the State of Alaska.

This is a huge victory for our nation's pristine forest lands!

Statement from The Wilderness Society President William H. Meadows on the Historic Court Decision Reinstating the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule