WASHINGTON, DC, May 31, 2006 -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced today that New Mexico will ask the Bush Administration to maintain full protection for 1.6 million acres of National Forest roadless areas within the state, and to add new protection for an additional 100,000 acres in the Valle Vidal region of the Carson National Forest.
Gov. Richardson is the first western governor to petition for roadless area protection; he joins a bi-partisan group of governors from Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, who have filed petitions to protect 100 percent of the roadless forest areas within their states. He is petitioning to protect all the areas which are consistent with lands and protections provided under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. That Rule was repealed in 2001, and replaced with a petition process under which governors can ask the Forest Service to protect roadless areas within their states.
"The Wilderness Society commends Governor Richardson for showing real leadership today to make the best of a bad federal policy," said William H. Meadows, President of The Wilderness Society.
"Protecting the roadless areas of national forests is an essential part of a sensible policy to maintain some of America's most important wild areas. By replacing the 2001 ban on new road building with the current voluntary approach, the federal government has put that effort at risk. But if the Governor has his way, federal lands in New Mexico will stay protected as an important resource for future generations."
"New Mexico has championed roadless area conservation by challenging the repeal of the 2001 roadless policy in court and now by petitioning to protect all of the state’s roadless areas, including the spectacular Valle Vidal. We urge the Forest Service to move swiftly to approve this request and to reinstate protection for all roadless areas."
Background
New Mexico contains a total of 9,327,000 acres of national forest land, about 12 percent of New Mexico. During the development of the 2001 Roadless Rule the Forest Service held 22 public meetings and hearings throughout New Mexico to inform the public and collect input on the local level. In the end, over 38,000 New Mexicans commented and asked for strong roadless protections for NM’s forests for 1,597,00 acres.
Last year, the Bush administration replaced the 2001 Rule with a voluntary state petition process. The petition process removed federal protection from roadless areas and placed these areas at risk of logging and mining, unless state governors explicitly petitioned to maintain protection and the Forest Service agreed to the petition. Last year, New Mexico joined the states of California, Oregon, and Washington in a lawsuit challenging the administration's repeal of the 2001 Rule.
Roadless forest areas provide natural resistance to wildfire, protect sources of clean drinking water and provide unspoiled landscapes for Americans to fish, hunt, and hike.
