Cantwell, Inslee Commend Gregoire Efforts to Protect Washington State Roadless Areas
Senator, Congressman continue push for federal action to safeguard nation’s last remaining pristine forest lands
WASHINGTON, DC - Thursday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA) applauded Governor Chris Gregoire for her efforts to preserve two million acres of roadless areas in Washington state’s national forests, and pledged to continue their work to preserve roadless areas nationwide.
“Instead of protecting our most pristine public lands for the economic, environmental, and recreational benefits they provide, this administration is intent on opening up tens of millions of acres to road-building, logging, and mining,” said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. “It’s wrong to push roads through untouched forests against the wishes of a majority of Washingtonians. We need to strike a responsible balance and preserve America’s last wild lands for the collective enjoyment of current and future generations.”
“The day will come when Congress stands up for our national forests," added Inslee, who sits on the House Resources Committee. “Meantime, we have to depend on the judicial system to stop the administration from damaging our forests by selling out to special interests. I’m appreciative the governor has joined the fight to protect the many places—like the Kettle River Range, Dark Divide and Lena Lake—that are the heirlooms of all families in Washington state.”
The Bush Administration is pushing to overturn existing safeguards that protect roadless forest lands from logging, road-building, and other environmentally damaging development. In response, Governor Gregoire announced Thursday that Washington would join other western states in a legal challenge to the administration’s attempts.
Cantwell and Inslee are the primary Congressional champions of efforts to preserve America’s roadless areas. Cantwell has made the protection of roadless areas a priority since assuming office. Her first week on the job, Cantwell secured a promise from Attorney General John Ashcroft during his nomination hearing to protect the Clinton Administration’s Roadless Rule. Unfortunately, the administration broke that promise, and Cantwell has responded with legislation that would permanently codify the Clinton era forest land protections. Inslee is the sponsor of similar legislation, currently under consideration in the House of Representatives.
The Roadless Area Conservation Act is a balanced policy that would protect remaining pristine national forests. It allows for continued forest management to promote forest health, preserves public access to existing roaded areas, and would ensure continued opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, and other forms of outdoor recreation.
In 2001, the Forest Service created the roadless rule prohibiting most timber harvests and road construction in 58 million acres of inventoried roadless areas nationwide. National forests cover 9.2 million acres of Washington’s state—about one-fifth of the state’s total land mass. There are two million acres of inventoried roadless areas in Washington, providing vital habitat to rare and endangered species and unrivaled recreation opportunities to outdoor enthusiasts.
In May 2005, the Bush Administration repealed the entire 2001 rule, opening environmentally sensitive land to road-building and timber harvesting. States wishing to safeguard this once protect land must now undertake an expensive, time-consuming analysis of the same information that led to the 2001 rule. Last August, the States of California, Oregon, and New Mexico filed a legal challenge to the administration’s actions. Today, Governor Gregoire joined the suit.
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