by far the most gutless thing the Bush admin has done so far...

[montana500]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05126/500119.stm



U.S. drops ban on forest roads
Bush administration issues rule that could open 58 million acres to oil and gas drilling, timbering
Friday, May 06, 2005

By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The Bush administration yesterday issued a new rule that has the potential to open up 58 million acres of remote and pristine national forestland to road development, oil and gas exploration and timbering.

The action, which ended a 4-year-old ban imposed at the very end of the Clinton administration, was immediately pilloried by environmental groups saying it puts many of the nation's last, best places at risk.



That rule issued in the waning days of the Clinton administration was based on years of scientific study, 600 local public hearings and meetings and 2.5 million favorable public comments, including 112,000 from Pennsylvanians.

At the time the U.S. Forest Service said the rule was adopted due to strong public sentiment for protecting wild areas, clean water sources, biological diversity, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat and forest health.

"Weakening protections for America's national forests is not wise and is certainly not conservative," said Sandy Moser, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of Republicans for Environmental Protection. "Roadless areas in the Allegheny National Forest provide critical wildlife habitat and are an important source of clean drinking water in the state. The Forest Service's changes to the roadless rule seem incredibly short-sighted."

[coloradodem2005]

1. Finally, Republicans with sense. Who'd have thunk?

[snowbear]

7. I take it you agree with this...

..ColoradoDem? :shrug:

[satya]

10. Maybe he's referring to the Republicans for Environmental Protection? n/t

[coloradodem2005]

11. Yes. That is who I was referring to.

[SammyBlue]

2. What part of this doesn't surprise you?

The Bush administration is at war with the Constitution, the environment, dissent and logic.

This doesn't surprise me. It infuriates me, but doesn't surprise me.

[tabasco]

3. The people that applaud this never step in the wilderness.

Our grandchildren should be able to have unspoiled areas, but they won't. Thanks, republicans - you pussies are too chickenshit to ever ever step into the wilderness, so you don't care.

[Skittles]

4. the most gutless thing that bastard has done

is send kids to war when he himself when f***ing AWOL

[samplegirl]

5. Guess who foots the bill for these "maintenance roads"

in our national park lands.
Insult...Meet injury.

The National Parks belong to US....Not the U.S.

[BeFree]

13. A slight correction, samplegirl

First; I do appreciate your sentiment, these lands are our lands and have been set aside for good reasons. Changing the designations are imo, treasonous.

But the lands in question here are Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. They are not National Park Lands. There is quite a difference, politically speaking, when concerning these different federal lands.

[simcha_6]

6. One example of his environmental policies

The federal government took advantage of a mining law from the 1800's and sold the Red Lady Bowl aka Mt. Emmons in Crested Butte, CO to Phelps-Dodge for $5/acre. Dead serious. The Red Lady has the second largest molybdenum deposit in the world, and Phelps-Dodge and Cypress-AMAX have been trying to mine it since the '70's. Crested Butte, a ski town that depends on a clean environmental image, has repeatedly fought them off, but this was a serious blow to the cause. Check out <http://www.hccaonline.org/saveredlady.html> for more information.

[satya]

9. He's privatizing public lands for $5/acre? OMG. n/t

[simcha_6]

12. It's been a law since around 1850...

when we wanted to encourage Western expansion.

[lostnfound]

8. What a way to celebrate the finding of the ivory-billed woodpecker! nt

[BlackVelvetElvis]

14. It looks like Bush will get another "F"

from environmental groups. No surprise.
Building roads also has an effect on bird populations.