In a clear and resounding victory for advocates of protecting national forest roadless areas, the Ninth Circuit Court upheld the legality of the Roadless Rule, overturning an injunction against the Rule imposed by the Idaho District Court. In determining that the Idaho district court had "abused its discretion," the Ninth Circuit firmly rejected all of the alleged legal violations made by Boise Cascade Corporation and other plaintiffs in the Idaho case.
On December 12, 2002, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the State of Idaho’s and Boise Cascade’s attempt to stop implementation of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. That landmark rule, signed in early 2001, would bar roadbuilding on 58.5 million acres of roadless National Forest land across the country.
The ruling has tremendous implications for Idaho, with its 9 million acres of roadless National Forest land. Most immediately, the circuit court’s decision puts the brakes on an effort by the Caribou National Forest to open up 65,000 acres of roadless land to logging and roadbuilding, provisions for which are part of a revised final forest-wide management plan the agency is releasing. The Wilderness Society and our conservation partners are telling the Forest Service it must re-write the plan to comply with the Ninth Circuit ruling.
For More Information on the Ruling
For More Information on Roadless Area Protection in Idaho
