Contact: Angela Benander, (202) 495-3048 or angela.benander@sierraclub.org
SALT LAKE CITY, UT—Yesterday, the state of Utah filed a petition seeking exemptions from the Forest Service’s Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The roadless rule was established to protect and preserve wild places, including some of the last remaining stands of old-growth trees, critical habitat for wildlife, recreational havens, and forest headwaters that provide clean drinking water for more than 60 million people nationwide. The roadless rule currently safeguards 58.5 million acres of pristine National Forest System lands across 39 states from logging and road building.
Utah’s petition was filed with the Department of Agriculture, which will evaluate the state’s proposal and launch a public process including a public comment period. A map showing the proposed rollbacks can be viewed here. Previous attempts to roll back roadless rule protections have met overwhelming public opposition in Utah and other states.
In response, Sierra Club Utah Chapter Director Ashley Soltysiak released the following statement:
“Utah’s national forests protect a diversity of critical ecosystems, while providing enormous recreation and economic opportunities for communities throughout the state. The Roadless Rule safeguards these lands essential for delivering clean drinking water, suitable wildlife habitat, and unmatched recreational experiences. The state’s petition is a thinly veiled effort to increase development of these areas, under the guise of wildfire mitigation, with wholly unfounded scientific claims and virtually no public transparency. Make no mistake, we will fight back to continue protecting these wild places for generations of Americans to come.”
###
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.