Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District

Issues

Environment

Inslee Applauds Court Decision to Lift Roadless Rule Injunction

12 December 2003

U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee applauded the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit today to lift the court's injunction on the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Said Inslee,

"The 9th Circuit's decision means that the American people are one step closer to meaningful protection for our last pristine wilderness areas. America's environmental laws are on the books because the American people want strong environmental protections for our wilderness areas. Today's decision reflects those laws and the historically unprecedented public review process that went into forming the roadless rule. The Bush administration should take this ruling as a clear message that it should strive to be a good steward of our public lands, rather than erode our environmental laws."

"The 9th Circuit's ruling stands as one true bright spot among a swath of administrative decisions to weaken America's environmental protections. From the Clean Air Act to the National Environmental Protection Act, the Bush administration has made explicitly clear its intention to hand over our public lands to the timber, mining, and energy industries. We hope the administration will not continue blocking the roadless rule, and we will continue to pursue legislative means of achieving this great conservation policy."

Implemented by the previous administration, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule would protect nearly sixty million acres of pristine National Forest lands from logging, mining, and drilling, except in cases where the logging is necessary to protect forest health, to improve habitat for endangered species or to reduce fire danger. The lands would remain open for recreational use including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and the use of snowmobiles and dirtbikes. The roadless rule underwent an unprecedented public review process, receiving 1.6 million overwhelmingly supportive public comments.

Inslee and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell introduced bipartisan legislation during the 107th Congress that would have made the roadless rule into law. Inslee plans on introducing the legislation again during the 108th Congress.