Greenpeace Blasts Decision to Exclude Tongass from Roadless
Rule
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration announced
today that it would exclude the Tongass National Forest from the
landmark Roadless Area Conservation Rule, despite overwhelming
public support for keeping the forest intact. In keeping with the
administration’s practice of “stealth” policy moves, the change was
made with little fanfare in the midst of the Christmas holidays to
avoid public scrutiny.
“It’s ironic that, at a time when trees are celebrated as a
symbol of the holidays, President Bush gives the crown jewel of the
national forest system to timber barons as a Christmas gift,” said
John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace. “President
Bush had pledged to uphold the Roadless Rule. Now he has taken the
definitive step to gut it by excluding our largest national forest.
The Tongass is as important to the world as the Amazon rainforest,
and President Bush wants to open it up to large-scale industrial
logging. This is another example of this administration’s complete
disregard for the wishes of the American people and America’s
environment.”
The Roadless Rule was enacted by President Clinton in 2001 after
three years of study and more than 600 public meetings across the
nation. Americans submitted a record number of public comments –
more than any other administrative action – with more than two
million in favor of upholding the rule. Anticipating Bush’s moves
to weaken the Rule and exclude the Tongass, Greenpeace sent its
largest ship, the Esperanza, to Southeast Alaska earlier this year
to investigate and document pristine areas that face
clearcutting.
President Bush is also planning to allow western governors to
exclude national forests in their states from the Rule, which has
the potential for opening up 85 percent of land that should be
protected from road building and logging. The exclusion of the
Tongass from the Rule comes on the heels of the passage of the
so-called “Healthy Forests Initiative,” a Bush-endorsed measure
designed to further open public lands to industrial logging. Bush
has also gutted the Northwest Forest Plan and the Sierra Nevada
Framework, forest management plans that place conservation before
commercial exploitation.
Furthermore, the administration is undermining Americans’ right
to oversight of public lands and their right to peaceful protest.
In a move unprecedented in U.S. history, John Ashcroft’s Justice
Department has indicted an entire organization – Greenpeace – for
the peaceful protest activities of its members. Greenpeace is
fighting the charges as a case of selective prosecution and an
attempt by the Bush administration to stifle non-violent
dissent.
“These lands belong to the American people, not to the Bush
administration’s buddies in the timber industry,” said
Passacantando. “Americans will not sit idly by while our natural
heritage is sold off for short-term profits and our rights are
trampled.”
B-Roll of the Tongass is available to broadcast media outlets.
Alaska spokesperson also available.
CONTACT: Nancy Hwa, (202) 413-8521;
Steve Smith, (202) 321- 3872
