Denver Federal Appeals Court to Hear Roadless Rule Argument

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http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=46776

WHERE: 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, Courtroom 3, 18th and Stout, Denver

WHEN: Wednesday, May 4, 9 a.m.

WHY: On Tuesday, May 3, Forest Service officials were telling reporters to standby for the release of a Bush administration replacement to the Clinton era roadless rule. Nonetheless, arguments are scheduled to go forward tomorrow morning at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver over the legitimacy of the Clinton roadless rule. This visionary forest protection originally called for the protection of 58.5 million acres of large blocks of unroaded forests and grasslands that belong to all Americans. The State of Wyoming, which is defending a Wyoming federal district court's ruling striking down the roadless rule, argued to the Tenth Circuit that the court should dismiss the case because a replacement rule would soon be forthcoming from the Bush administration. So far the appeals court has not accepted that argument but indications are the Bush administration may attempt to avoid a legal ruling by releasing its replacement rule as soon as this week. Regardless of Bush administration actions, Earthjustice attorney Jim Angell will defend the landmark forest protection measure Wednesday morning at the court of appeals in Denver.

Angell said, "We're trying to protect the kind of natural forest areas where we miraculously re discovered the ivory-billed woodpecker last week after 60 years of no sightings. Furthermore, EPA professionals have tried to warn the administration that their roadbuilding and clearcutting plan for our national forests will cause water pollution problems for many small communities around the nation. Unfortunately these professionals have been silenced by high political appointees in the Bush administration."

Earthjustice will continue working to protect America's last great undisturbed areas of our national forests. Angell noted, "In contrast to the roadless rule adopted to widespread public acclaim in 2001, it looks like the Bush administration plans to thumb its nose at the American public and the law with its new logging plan that hasn't had a single public hearing, no scientific scrutiny, and was resoundly rejected by the public during the comment period."

The original Roadless Rule garnered more than 2 million comments in favor, received strong scientific support, and was the subject of an unprecedented 600 public hearings. By contrast, more than 1.7 million Americans spoke out against the replacement Bush forest destruction plan.