In Forest Plans, No Environment Analysis - AP

In Forest Plans, No Environment Analysis

By JEFF BARNARD
The Associated Press
Tuesday, December 12, 2006; 9:14 PM

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Long-term management plans for national forests
will no longer go through a formal environmental impact statement,
the U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday.

The Forest Service said writing the 15-year plans has no effect on the
environment, making the impact statements unnecessary. That conclusion
was based on changes to forest planning rules made last year and a past
U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says a plan is a statement of intent and
does not cause anything to happen.

Individual projects, such as logging, were cut out of forest management
plans in last year's rule changes. Those projects will still have to go
through a formal analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act,
known as NEPA, said Fred Norbury, associate deputy chief for the national
forest system.

-snip-

Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., the incoming House Resources Committee
chairman, said the new rules are part of a continuing effort by the Bush
administration to reduce wildlife and watershed protections and make it
harder for the public to challenge illegal logging.

-snip-