High court leaves Clinton-era rule intact, turning aside mining industry petition

Source: The Hill

High court leaves Clinton-era rule intact, turning aside mining industry petition
By Ben Geman - 10/01/12 10:57 AM ET

The Supreme Court won’t hear state, mining and oil industry challenges to regulations issued at the tail end of Bill Clinton’s presidency that are aimed at protecting wide swaths of national forest lands.

The justices on Monday said they would let stand an appellate decision upholding the so-called roadless rule, which prevents road construction and timber harvesting on 58.5 million acres of National Forest System lands.

The justices without comment turned back petitions from the state of Wyoming and the mining industry challenging the rule, which was finalized in January 2001. Groups including the American Petroleum Institute, which is the oil industry’s main trade group, had joined the effort to win Supreme Court review.

Eight other states had also urged review, according to Bloomberg.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/259443-high-court-leaves-clinton-era-conservation-rule-intact

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