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Sierra Club Lawsuits

Judge Reinstates the Roadless Rule; 58.5 Million Acres of National Forests Now Protected

Case Updates:

September 2, 2006

In a monumental decision with 58.5 million acres of implications, on September 20, 2006 California federal judge Elizabeth Laporte ruled to reinstate the Roadless Rule and throw out the Bush administration’s petition plan. President Clinton created the Roadless Rule to ensure that 58.5 million acres of our nation’s national forests would remain wild and roadless; the Bush administration replaced this original rule, opting to open up America’s remaining wild lands to logging and roadways. This decision came in response to a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club and a coalition of states and environmental groups calling for the protection of our last wild places.

October 6, 2005

Joining with three states and over 20 conservation organizations, Sierra Club is calling for protection of our last wild places in a new lawsuit that challenges the Bush administration’s repeal of the Roadless Rule. The 2001 Roadless Rule was established to protect over 58 million acres of public land on national forests from road construction, commercial logging, and development. Although an unprecedented number of Americans, including hunters, fishermen, and hikers, considered the regulation one of the greatest forest conservation measures in history, the Bush administration formally repealed the rule in May 2005. Sadly, the repeal swept away protections without any consideration of science, economics, biology, costs to communities, or common sense. The lawsuit asks the court to reinstate the rule in its entirety and protect our nation’s special places instead of subsidizing their destruction.

Details and Documents:

Case Documents:

Roadless Rule Order
September 20, 2006 US District Court, Northern District of California

News Articles:

Judge Restores Clinton's 'Roadless Rule'
September 20, 2006, by Terence Chea, ABC News

Court Reinstates Roadless Rule
September 20, 2006 Earthjustice Press Release