Jul. 13, 2004 - 16:40 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

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Trying to figure out the news article in today's Rocky Mountain News. First I looked at the back of the article on the next page. On a paragraph over a map of our state is a short paragraph:

"The federal government Monday announced it is repealing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protected millions of acres of national forests from road building. The decision was hailed by oil, logging, and mining interests and blasted by environental groups.

The article is by Deborah Frazier -- In part:

Forest roads at a fork

Bush plan reverses Clinton policy, seeks input from states

"The Bush administration Monday asked the West's governors to propose their own rules for roadless federal forests, a move that could open millions of acres to logging, mining and energy development.

"Soliciting governors' proposals reverses a Clinton administration rule that curtailed logging, oil and other commercial uses on land surveyed as roadless."

"The Bush plan would give each governor 18 months to petition Forest Service Director Dale Bosworth for new roads to open wildlands or to continue conservation. Bosworth could adopt the proposals, reject governors' recommendations use them in conjunction with proposals from other groups or do nothing."

"We see this as a collaborative process," said Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman, who heads the Forest Service."

"This a new dramatic offer to us," said Russ George, head of Colorado's Department of Natural Resources."

"Gov. Owens believes it is a great step forward," said Owens' press secretary, Dan Hopkins."

"I don't think opening roadless areas is going to lead to anything catastrophic," said Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo."

"This a huge win for Colorado because it puts state and local officials in the driver's seat," said Jim Sims of the Golden-based Western Business Roundtable, which lobbies for energy and timber industries."

"Ken Wonstoeln of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association said repealing the Clinton-era rule will open more land to energy exploration."

"Environmental groups across the country scoffed and said the process only benefits commercial interests."

"This is the biggest single giveaway to the timber industry in the history of the national forests," said Philip Clapp of the National Environmental Trust."

"I am very disappointed that President Bush has decided to flip-flop on protecting America's forests," said Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who called changing the rule in an election year maneuver "to turn over even more land to the timber, oil gas industries."

"There are nine lawsuits in seven states involving the Clinton administration roadless rule."

"They are attempting to short-circuit the process," said Jim Angell of Earth Justice, a non-profit law firm that took the issue to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. "This is an effort by this administration to stop the 10th Circuit Court from reimposing a rule that this administration has fought," he said."

Archaeologists also weighed in against the Bush plan, which could threaten thousands of Anasazi sites in southwestern Colorado."

"Tom Carr of the Colorado Historical Society said that a section of the Piedra River in the San Juan National Forest near Chimney Rock has been protected by the roadless rule."

"New roads would make the area accessible to looters and open a center of Anasazi culture to vehicle damage," Carr said."

The impact on wildlife is difficult to estimate," said Michael Saul of the National Wildlife Federation in Boulder."

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My opinions. This article covered Colorado, I do wonder how bad it will be for states with any roadless areas, forested areas ?

For one thing, it looks as if any effort on the governors part will have to be approved by Forest Service Director Dale Bosworth. And he can do just exactly as he wants or is ordered to do by the administratation.

It looks to me that industry, big money and bought politicians are trying to rape the land of what we have left of roadless areas, which includes bunches of trees, wildlife and measureless, treasured historical sites. I have seen in Oregon how the timber interests have left trees along the roadsides but clear cut the rest -- or have planted trash growth. I read that our administration is trying to sneak Alaskan land into oil drilling properties now too.

According to this article most of those for this change are Republican or industry representatives.

Looks to me that what we people have tried to protect is now at risk. Drivers of off-road vehicles have wreaked havoc on our lands where they shouldn't have been in the first place already and have done irreparable damage to some habitats. Now our dear administration wants to open up everything to anyone with a vehicle to drive on roads plowed into what was once free, enjoyable roadless country. People having to dodge logging trucks, mining trucks and other scurrying vehicles is bad enough in Oregon, I don't wish to have it here in Colorado.

And this article just covers Colorado of course as it is in a local paper. But The Busheys are out to scrape the country clean to the point that there will be no place to enjoy life anymore it seems to me.

So, it looks like the alert system will be operated for political purposes now, the national election in November might be postponed in case of most any scary thing they think might happen, and our precious open land be criss crossed purely for profit.

And that ain't all of course, it looks to me now that we're the suckers and this administration is building a huge Setup . . . . . . . . . . .

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