April 22, 2004

Clean Air Council Statement on Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman’s Earth Day Visit to Allegheny National Forest

Statement by Arthur Stamoulis, Policy Analyst:

“Secretary Veneman’s decision to visit the Allegheny on Earthy Day is extremely ironic, given everything her office has done to open up national forests to more logging and drilling.

“Contrary to what the administration claims, the so-called Healthy Forest Initiative was not about protecting America’s forests. The administration’s current attempts to gut the Roadless Rule also threaten to open up the nation’s last-remaining pristine areas to increased logging and drilling.

“In May 2001, Veneman promised that her department would uphold the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a balanced policy designed to protect the last-remaining pristine areas in America’s national forests. Despite her pledge, the Agriculture Department has since moved forward with plans to weaken the Roadless Rule—completely ignoring the millions of Americans who have written in asking that the rule be preserved. Changes to the Roadless Rule threaten tens of millions of acres of undeveloped forestland across the country, including 25,000 pristine acres in Allegheny National Forest.

“Secretary Veneman should stand up to the timber and oil giants by keeping her promise to uphold the Roadless Rule. The last undeveloped areas of the Allegheny and other national forests should be protected for the benefit of all Americans, both now and into the future. Once these areas are gone, they are gone forever.”