The Bush administration said yesterday it plans to overturn a Clinton-era rule that made nearly 60 million acres of national forest off-limits to road-building and logging, setting aside one of the most sweeping land preservation measures in decades.

..."It's another case of the Bush administration having happy talk on the environment, but it's basically rape and pillage," said Earthjustice attorney Doug Honnold, who has defended the rule in Idaho, Wyoming and D.C. courts. "The broader debate is: Should [national forests] be devoted to development and corporate subsidies, or should they be set aside for amenity uses like wildlife protection and places where people can go to avoid the crush of civilization?"

...But New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), a member of Clinton's Cabinet, called the new plan "an abdication of federal responsibility" and a partisan move just months before the presidential election. Richardson said he will petition to protect "every single inch" of roadless areas in New Mexico [ more ]

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