Protecting
the Wild Forests of Washington
by Washington Governor Christine Gregoire
December 2006
Roadless forests in Washington define the unique quality of
life that we enjoy in the Pacific Northwest. They provide us with clean and
safe drinking water and habitat for fish and wildlife, as well as world-class
recreation opportunities that contribute to our economy.
That is why I am committed to seeing that these lands
remain protected. The 2001 Roadless Rule provided popular and balanced
protections for more than two million acres of roadless areas in Washington. The rule prohibited new road construction and
most commercial logging.
In May 2005, the U.S. Forest Service repealed safeguards
for roadless areas unless Governors engaged in a lengthy and costly process to
re-protect roadless areas in their state by submitting an optional petition for
consideration. Since then, I have
consistently worked to restore the protections for our roadless forests.
In November 2005, I formally requested the federal
government allow an expedited option for
states like Washington to retain protection of these areas, without additional
cost or process. That request was denied.
In February, I
joined a lawsuit with three other Western states to directly challenge the new
regulations in court. On September 20, a federal district court judge ruled in
favor of our legal challenge, invalidating the state petition regulations and
reinstating protections under the 2001 rule.
I asked to hear from Washington citizens in preparation
for submitting a petition to protect all of our roadless areas under the
new regulations. Because our law suit was successful, there is
currently no opportunity or need to file a state petition under the invalidated
regulations.
The September 20 ruling has been appealed and we must
wait to be sure that the decision holds.
I will be vigilant and save the responses from the comment period in
case a state petition becomes necessary in the future.
Nearly 12,000 were sent to my office from individuals,
organizations, agencies and elected officials, and Washingtonians
overwhelmingly reiterated their support for roadless forest protection:
- 98% expressed support for protection of roadless areas;
- 90% supported strong restrictions on road construction
and commercial logging in these areas; and
- 84% identified habitat as an important value roadless
areas.
Once again, Washingtonians have shown their support for
protecting our quality of life and I will continue to work to keep these lands
protected.
Governor Christine Gregoire is the Governor of the state of Washington. She previously served as Washington State Attorney General.
|
Preserve Washington’s Roadless Forests
