In just over a month's time, more than a quarter of a million comments were received by the Forest Service in opposition to Bush Administration proposal to exempt the Tongass and Chugach National Forests from the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Fully one-quarter of the lands protected by the Rule are located in the Tongass and Chugach, America's largest and wildest national forests.

The next step will be for the Bush Administration to analyze the comments and issue its decision on the temporary exemption for the Tongass and options for extending the exemption to include the Chugach. This could happen as soon as mid-to-late October. The Bush Administration is then expected to release their proposal for the revision of the entire Roadless Rule. That proposal is expected to include finalization of the Tongass and Chugach exemptions as well as detailed alternatives on allowing governors in the lower-48 states to apply for exemptions from the Roadless Rule for National Forest lands in their states.

Other notable, positive actions taken in response to the Bush plan to exempt Alaska’s rainforests from the Roadless Rule include:

• 107 Member of Congress joined Reps. DeLauro and Inslee on a comment letter to the Forest Service opposing the proposed Tongass and Chugach exemptions;
• 5 corporations (Staples, Haywood Lumber, KB Homes, REI and LEKI) sent pro-protection comments into the Forest Service;
• 20 national organizations participated in the comment period; and
• 255 conservation, religious and labor organizations nationwide signed-on to a joint comment letter opposing the Bush plan.

Background
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule was set in place in 2001, following two years of study and historic levels of public involvement. It protected remaining roadless areas on America’s national forests, about 58.5 million acres, from most logging and road building. The Rule's immediate effect in Alaska was to halt agency plans to clear-cut 175 million board feet annually from roadless areas on the Tongass National Forest.

In a proposed settlement with the State of Alaska which filed a lawsuit challenging the Roadless Rule, the Bush Administration (which refused to defend the Rule in court), is seeking to exempt the Tongass and Chugach National Forests from the Roadless Rule. These exemptions would put at risk nearly 10 million roadless acres on the Tongass National Forest and another five million acres on the Chugach National Forest.

The Forest Service accepted public comments until September 2 on its proposal to exempt the Alaska’s rainforests from the Roadless Rule.

For More Information

• Nicole Whittington Evans, The Wilderness Society, 907-272-9453
• Laurie Cooper, Alaska Coalition, 202-266-0441
• Emily Ferry or Aurah Landau, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, 907-586-6942
• Lexi Keogh, Alaska Wilderness League, (202) 544-5205
• Michael Finkelstein, Alaska Rainforest Campaign, (202) 550-5613