Draft Rule for Idaho's Roadless Areas

I learned at a young age that when people become complacent others may make decisions that result in a rude awakening from that state of contentment. For me, that happened today with the Associated Press announcements that the Bush Administration had released on Monday its draft rule for managing the more than 9.3 million acres of Idaho roadless area. The Forest Service will hold a series of meetings across the state the and comment period ends April 7. The Federal Register released the information on Monday, January 7th.

Last year Risch wrote up a draft for Idaho's roadless areas that did not stray far from the Clinton Roadless rule. Not all environmentalist agreed with Risch's draft, but, all-in-all, they were willing to go along with it under the circumstances. Now the Forest Service has changed Risch's original draft and put in language that would provide the Forest Service with good excuses for building roads in designated roadless, allowing mining, taking out timber and so forth. For a more in-depth description of what is happening check out the report at the Environmental News Service. More information is available at the Lewiston Tribune, but only if you're a paid subscriber....

I just love the way the Bush Administration quietly released all this information while people were busy with the holiday season. Typical Bush present to the American public in general and the Idaho people in particular. I guess I was just enjoying the holiday season too much and had to have this change in Idaho's roadless rule language pointed out to me by someone else. It seems like we have to be on our toes all the time when it comes to politics....

The most irritating part about this whole business is that just when you think that everyone has come to an agreement that sits well with all parties, someone just ups and changes the stakes. It reminds me too much of how local Republican politicians have their hands in almost everything, and for the most part these people are not experts, not particularly well-educated, and not really interested in the opinions of those who are well-informed; rather their interests are usually selfish and greedy. And that certainly doesn't bode well for good government....

Well the comment period begins. Watch for statewide US Forest Service Roadless meetings dates which should be published locally; stay tuned to what's happening by reading the Idaho Conservation League website; and finally, I'll be reporting on this whenever something comes up.

"A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself." Edward Abbey in Desert Solitaire