Statement from the Southern Environmental Law Center:

Senators John Warner and Jim Webb (VA) and 14 other members of the Southeast's congressional delegation joined more than 140 colleagues from across the country and from both sides of the aisle in introducing a bi-partisan bill in the House and Senate today that would permanently protect 58.5 million acres of America's premiere public land. Sen. Warner was a lead co-sponsor with Maria Cantwell (WA) of the Senate version. It was the strongest showing yet of congressional support from the Southeast for protecting "roadless" areas on the national forest, including 723,000 acres in the Southern Appalachians.

David Carr, Director of SELC's Public Lands Program: "The roadless areas on our national forests represent an essential part of America's natural heritage. We applaud the promise that these members of Congress made today to future generations to ensure these lands will remain healthy and whole."

The bill codifies the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, adopted by the Clinton Administration in 2001 after years of scientific review, more than 600 public meetings, and a record number of official public comments. Over the years, the Forest Service has received more than 4.2 million public comments supporting strong, permanent protection of these remote, wild areas.

One of the first acts of the Bush Administration was to suspend the rule; in 2005 it eliminated national protection and adopted its own rule giving governors the option to petition for protection of roadless areas in their states. A federal judge in September declared the Bush approach illegal and reinstated the 2001 rule. The administration, along with the timber industry, has appealed that ruling.

Passage of today's legislation would ensure that roadless areas are permanently protected without jeopardy from changing administrations. While protecting the last one-third of our threatened national forests from most logging and road-building, the bill allows new roads to be constructed in order to fight fires and ensure public health and safety.

Roadless areas are especially critical in the Southern Appalachians. Due to early settlement of the mountains, the areas that qualify today for roadless designation are fewer and smaller than in the west, putting them at a premium as a sanctuary for native wildlife, providing clean water for hundreds of communities, and offering some of the best outdoor recreation spots to be found east of the Mississippi.

The national forests in AL, GA, NC, SC, TN, and VA are already criss-crossed by more than 12,000 miles of roads, many of which are not properly maintained. The Forest Service has a $10 billion backlog on road maintenance nationwide.

Senate: John Warner (VA) - Lead sponsor with Sen. Maria Cantwell (WA); Jim Webb (VA)
House: Hank Johnson, John Lewis, Jim Marshall, David Scott (GA); G.K. Butterfield, Brad Miller, David Price, Melvin Watt (NC); John Spratt (SC); Steven Cohen, Jim Cooper (TN); Rick Boucher, Jim Moran, Bobby Scott (VA).