The Obama administration provided a new framework the U.S. Forest Service would use to manage national forest land yesterday. Once the regulations are approved, they will update planning procedures that have been in place since 1982 and use latest science and knowledge to create and implement effective land management plans. The rule requires management plans include habitat for plant and animal diversity and conservation, but some conservation groups say the rule weakens national forest wildlife protections, reports Environmental News Service.
Defenders of Wildlife President Jamie Rappaport, who headed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the Clinton administration, said her organization supports "this historic shift in direction," but remains concerned about the "adequacy" of wildlife conservation in the proposed rule. She said the rule "makes promises that it can't fully deliver." Conversely, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said the rule will sustain jobs and income for local communities, take less time, cost less money and provide stronger protections for land and water.
This is the fourth, and seemingly final, attempt to update the rules since 2000. All previous attempts were challenged in court by several environmental and conservation nonprofits, including Center for Biological Diversity, and found to be unlawful. The Forest Service and its parent agency, the Department of Agriculture, considered almost 300,000 public comments on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement to develop the final course of action. (Read more)
Defenders of Wildlife President Jamie Rappaport, who headed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the Clinton administration, said her organization supports "this historic shift in direction," but remains concerned about the "adequacy" of wildlife conservation in the proposed rule. She said the rule "makes promises that it can't fully deliver." Conversely, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said the rule will sustain jobs and income for local communities, take less time, cost less money and provide stronger protections for land and water.
This is the fourth, and seemingly final, attempt to update the rules since 2000. All previous attempts were challenged in court by several environmental and conservation nonprofits, including Center for Biological Diversity, and found to be unlawful. The Forest Service and its parent agency, the Department of Agriculture, considered almost 300,000 public comments on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement to develop the final course of action. (Read more)
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