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Inslee listens to a constituent.

Montage of Wing Point in Bainbridge Island and the Edmonds Ferry.

Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District

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Inslee and Boehlert Introduce Landmark Roadless Legislation

5 June, 2002

U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) announced the introduction of their National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act today at a roll-out event on Capitol Hill. This bipartisan legislation, already supported by over 170 original cosponsors, will make the "Roadless Rule" into federal law.

"The National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act delivers what the American people overwhelmingly want: bipartisan legislation that takes care of existing roads and protects the remaining jewels of our National Forests from mining, drilling and clear-cutting," said Inslee. "By protecting our remaining roadless areas, we will ensure that pristine forests continue to provide sources of clean public drinking water, an undisturbed habitat for fish and wildlife, and thousands of acres for the many forms of recreation we now enjoy."

Inslee further explained,"Existing roads are washing into our streams and damaging precious wildlife habitat because the forest service cannot keep up with the maintenance. It will require $8 billion to repair the 360,000 miles of existing roads in our forests, even before building new roads in these areas. This common-sense legislation represents a true balance between environmental and economic concerns about our National Forests."

The National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act is not a complete ban on road building, road reconstruction or economic utilization. The legislation allows new roads to be constructed in specified circumstances, such as to fight fires or when other natural disasters threaten public safety; does not close any existing roads or trails and allows full-access for recreational activities such as backpacking, camping, hunting and fishing; does not affect the right of access to property owned by states or individuals; allows logging of certain timber to reduce the risk of wildfires; and allows for expansion of oil and gas operations within existing or renewed leased areas.

This legislation is in response to an overwhelming public response to protect our forests. A record-breaking 1.6 million people submitted comments on the policy, the vast majority of which were in support of a strong protection plan.