For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Contact: David Willett, 202-675-6698
Colorado's Roadless Plan Wrong Approach for Forest Protection
Washington, DC: Today, the State of Colorado took another step towards opting out of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule by proposing a new plan to manage Colorado’s roadless forest areas. This latest proposal now moves to the Obama administration, which has pledged to defend and uphold the 2001 Roadless Rule, most recently in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Statement of Athan Manuel, Sierra Club's Director of Public Lands Protection
"This is the wrong approach and we strongly urge the Obama administration to oppose any project, including this latest Colorado petition, that could undermine the integrity of this landmark conservation policy and remove protections for our country’s remaining roadless forests. The Obama administration has the tools to preserve the integrity of this policy in ways that will work for Colorado and all other states with roadless areas.
"The 2001 Roadless Rule was developed following more than two decades of debate and nearly 1.6 million public comments in favor of complete protections for these last wild places. Roadless areas in our national forests provide clean drinking water to more than 60 million Americans, serve as important habitat for imperiled wildlife, and help combat climate change by storing large quantities of carbon."
###