Over 250,000 citizens, joined by Olympic athletes, petition US Forest Service to reinstate protections for national forest 'roadless' areas

Washington, DC - More than one-quarter million Americans – including more than 20,000 Southerners and 100 current and former Olympians – are petitioning the U.S. Forest Service to reinstate the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and reverse one of the Bush administration’s most controversial environmental decisions.

In an unprecedented move, concerned Americans employed the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) to petition for a policy reversal. The APA grants citizens the right to request that the government issue, amend or revoke federal rules. Backers say the unusual step is necessary after the Bush administration failed to account for over-whelming public support for retaining the 2001 rule, evidenced during a public comment period in 2004. Traditionally, citizen participation is limited to comments during rulemakings, but according to conservationists, the comments of 1.7 million Americans were largely ignored by the Bush administration in their repeal of the rule.

In a letter to the Forest Service, over 100 local and national conservation groups who organized the drive demanded a prompt response to the petition as required by law. The groups said the government not only ignored strong public support for the roadless conservation rule of 2001, but may have skirted federal environmental law. These legal violations are the subject of two lawsuits in federal court.

In the six-state Southern Appalachian region, 20,643 people signed on to the petition over the last several months, said David Carr, Public Lands Director at the Southern Environmental Law Center. He noted that in the past, some 258,000 Southerners had commented on the issue of roadless areas of the national forests, with well over 90% in favor of strong environmental protections. “Year after year, citizens are telling the federal government they want these wild places left alone,” Carr said. “Today’s petition sends the message yet again to the Bush administration.”

In Virginia, Gov. Tim Kaine sent a letter to Ag Secretary Mike Johanns on March 1 reaffirming Virginia’s long-standing support for the state’s roadless areas. In December, former Gov. Mark Warner was the first governor to petition the Secretary of Agriculture to permanently protect 380,000 acres of his state's mountain forests from logging and roadbuilding. The petition covers all the identified "roadless" areas on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in the western part of the state.

The number of comments from Southerners in today's petition breaks down as follows: Alabama – 1,189; Georgia – 4,314; North Carolina – 5,377; South Carolina – 1,525; Tennessee – 3,023; Virginia – 5,215.

“Roadless protection is especially important in the Southern Appalachians because these lands are so rare here. Only 1 percent of the nation’s roadless acreage lies in the Southern Appalachian region. It is crucial for all of these irreplaceable roadless areas to be protected,” said Hugh Irwin, Conservation Planner for the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition.

Today’s announcement comes as pressure mounts in Congress, the courts and the general public to reinstate the protections that limited road building, logging, drilling, and other destructive activities on nearly 60 million acres of wild national forests, including almost 724,000 acres in the Southern Appalachian national forests.

A Senate bill will be introduced shortly by Senators Maria Cantwell (WA) and Jeff Bingaman (NM) to codify the 2001 roadless rule into federal law. Last July, 145 members of Congress introduced a similar bill in the House. In addition a federal suit has been filed on behalf of three state attorneys general and two governors from four western states -- California, New Mexico, Washington and Oregon – challenging the legality of the Bush policy. Montana and Maine joined last week filing a brief in support of the suit. A second legal challenge was also filed on behalf of 20 conservation groups.

One hundred thirty world-class athletes including over 100 current and former Olympians who hold 50 Olympic medals as a whole petitioned the administration. Among them was Chris Klug, an Aspen snowboarder and bronze medal winner from the 2002 games. “I’ve spent countless hours carving lines down slopes and getting to know some of the most pristine forests our great country has to offer,” said Klug. “That’s why I’ve joined my fellow athletes and Americans in asking the government to not be shortsighted, and reinstate the Roadless Rule to protect our pristine forests for future generations.”

“The public deserves a medal for stepping up time and again to defend our roadless national forests,” said Robert Vandermark, director of the Heritage Forests Campaign. “While the administration has shut out millions of Americans who previously expressed support for protecting roadless areas, federal law requires it pay attention now.”

A copy of the letter submitted by over 100 groups supporting the petition drive, plus local information on petitioners and athletes is available at www.ourforests.org