While the new rule is being written, forest plan revisions will be guided by rules drafted in 1982. David P. Tenny, an acting deputy undersecretary in the USDA, has ordered new Forest Service chief Dale Bosworth to indefinitely delay the new rule, which was to take effect May 9. The debate will not affect Colorado's ongoing and controversial White River National Forest plan revision process. However, it would impact any new forest planning proposal. The administration believes the change is necessary because the existing rule, developed by the Clinton administration over a three-year period, would limit the Forest Service's ability to manage national forests through logging and other activities.
Environmentalists say it's pandering to timber interests.
That's apparently just not acceptable to the new administration. The Forest Service, however, said problems with the new rule were so severe it could not be successfully implemented. The new debate comes as the Bush administration prepares to announce whether it will attempt to overturn Clinton's roadless-area conservation initiative, which would ban most logging, drilling and mining on the 60 million acres of national forests without roads. That means they'll be taking some additional shots at some of environmental safeguards we've had for national forests for 20 years. In particular, environmentalists are concerned that Bush intends to severely weaken planning safeguards that seek to ensure that economic and recreational use of the forest doesn't degrade habitat for wildlife.