By
The Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho - A coalition backing access to millions of acres of roadless federal forest, now declared off-limits to most logging by the Clinton administration, has filed suit in U.S. District Court here challenging the decision.
"The coalition feel the Forest Service bypassed the forest planning porcess, ignored forest plans and intends a top-down mandate," said Mike Moser, public information officer for Boise Cascade Corp., leader of the consortium.
Under the newly announced Clinton forest management plan, the U.S. Forest Service will ban road-building in 58.5 million acres of federal forest land where no roads currently exist, including 9.3 million acres in Idaho.
Last year, both the state and the coalition unsuccessfully fought the roadless initiative while it was in the planning stages. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge dismissed the suit as premature.
Idaho Attorney General Al Lance said the state would file its own suit Tuesday in federal court.
The forest products company was joined in its suit by Boise and Valley counties in Idaho, the BlueRibbon Coalition off-road vehicle group, Idaho State Snowmobile Association and Emmett rancher Brad Little. Also signing on are the Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs and American Council of Snowmobile Associations.
Defendants are Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, Forest Service Chief Michael Dombeck and their agencies.
"In their hurried efforts to unilaterally impose a federal lands legacy as directed by the Clinton administration, defendants have done violence to numerous statutes designed to safeguard the environment," the suit said.
It also charges the vast majority of Forest Service employees who have commented publicly contend the initiative is inconsistent with regulations on national forest.
"There were a number of requests for more time and input by coalition partners, which we felt the Forest Service ignored in their process," Moser said. "The Congress also has authority to designate wilderness, but the rulemaking went around Congress to create de facto wilderness."
