|
On Wednesday, the U.S. Forest Service finalized a rule to weaken environmental analysis for many of its plans, excluding them from scientific review or community input. The decision will allow the Forest Service to authorize logging and development in national forests without environmental review, yet another example of the Trump administration rushing to instate damaging environmental policies before leaving office in January.
While the administration claims that this move will streamline the agency's response to areas impacted by wildfire and allow it to repair infrastructure on one 2,800 acre parcel, the rule change allows the Forest Service to bypass the environmental analysis requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act throughout the entire national forest system. Logging and road-building could be authorized without any environmental review and without input from local communities affected by development.
Calling this rule a "Trojan Horse," Sam Evans, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center said, "Even after the public overwhelmingly opposed this rule and spoke up for science… and accountability, the Trump administration has shown yet again that it will cut every corner to speed up logging and extraction."
|
Now more than ever, Colorado communities—and indeed communities across the nation—are anxious for LWCF money to start flowing during a time of economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Our outdoors are over-loved and increasingly busy places with record visitation almost everywhere. This trend will continue.”
