Background
Major Milestones Towards Roadless Protection
January 22,
1998 |
Chief of the United States Forest Service Mike Dombeck imposes an 18-month moratorium on most road building on inventoried roadless areas on the national forests. |
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January 12,
2001 |
The Roadless Rule is published in the Federal Register. |
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January 20,
2001 |
George W. Bush is sworn in as president; Andrew Card, White House chief of staff, directs cabinet secretaries to freeze any new rules that haven't gone into effect, including the Roadless Rule. |
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May 10,
2001 |
Judge Edward Lodge in Idaho enjoins the rule nationwide. |
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December 12,
2002 |
Ninth Circuit dissolves Judge Lodge's injunction. |
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July 14,
2003 |
Judge Clarence Brimmer in Wyoming enjoins the rule nationwide. |
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May 5,
2005 |
Bush administration puts the state petitions rule into place as a substitute for the Roadless Rule. |
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September 20,
2006 |
Judge Elizabeth Laporte in San Francisco declares the petitions rule illegal and reinstates the Roadless Rule. |
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August 12,
2008 |
Judge Brimmer reissues his moratorium declaring the Roadless Rule illegal throughout the country. |
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May 28,
2009 |
The Obama administration announces that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will review all plans for roadbuilding or logging in designated roadless areas for at least the next year. The review does not automatically stop upcoming timber sales in the Tongass, and excludes all of Idaho. |
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July 13,
2009 |
Secretary Vilsack approves the award of a contract for the Orion North timber sale in the Tongass National Forest, making it the first roadless timber sale authorized since the Secretary issued an interim directive providing that he would review all decisions allowing logging in roadless areas of our national forests. |
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August 5,
2009 |
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed protection for over 40 million acres of wild national forests and grasslands from new road building, logging, and development. |
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August 13,
2009 |
The Obama administration appealed a Wyoming federal district court ruling that struck down the national roadless rule. The appeal will go to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. |
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