Administration gives up on national forest rules

The Bush administration has dropped its appeal of a court ruling that had overturned proposed changes to the management of national forests, reports H. Josef Herbert of The Associated Press. The rules had been opposed by environmental groups who argued the changes helped loggers at the expense of wildlife.

"Last March, a federal district court in California found that the U.S. Forest Service had bypassed required environmental reviews and provisions under the Endangered Species Act in its overhaul of the management rules, including changes in logging limits, for its national forests," Herbert writes. "District Judge Phyllis Hamilton, acting on a lawsuit filed by environmentalists, prohibited the further implementation of the revised rules which were issued in January, 2005."

In August, the Forest Service had said it was working on revised rules that would survive legal review. (Read more)