another friday passes, another enviro reg tossed out the window...

[Guest guest]

Bush Admin. to Ease Rare Species Restrictions on Old-Growth Logging

 

Timber companies hoping to log on federal land in the Northwest will

no longer be responsible for surveying and protecting some 300 rare

plant and animal species, the Bush administration announced on

Friday. (Yes, it's yet another Friday rollback; they were hoping you

wouldn't notice.) The administration will dump the "survey and

manage" plan that was put in place by the Clinton administration; it

has been used by enviros to challenge a number of logging plans and

has sharply reduced overall logging in Northwest forests. Government

officials said that the money saved on the surveys could be better

used for projects like clearing undergrowth from fire-prone forests.

Industry groups cheered the change, viewing it as a victory in a

long-term campaign to step up logging in the Northwest's old-growth

forests. Environmentalists just stared mutely, worn down from

fighting. No, we're kidding! They're protesting and planning to

challenge the decision in court.

 

straight to the source: The Seattle Times, Craig Welch, 24 Jan 2004

<http://www.gristmagazine.com/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=1924>

 

straight to the source: The Register-Guard, Scott Maben, 24 Jan 2004

<http://www.gristmagazine.com/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=1925>