Clinton unveils forest protection plan, draws GOP fire

GOP lawmaker calls plan 'fatally flawed'

The vast majority of roadless federal forests are in the West, including parts of Idaho's Bitterroot Range and the Tongass, viewed by environmentalists as North America's rain forest. Smaller sections are scattered across the country from Florida's Apalachicola National Forest and Virginia's George Washington National Forest to New Hampshire's White Mountains.

Clinton's forest plan, largely intact from a proposal unveiled in November, has come under intense attack from mostly Republican Western lawmakers, and from energy, timber and mining industries as being too restrictive.

Last week, Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, the new chairman of the House Resources Committee, urged Bush to work with Congress to roll back the forest regulation.

In a letter to Bush and Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, Hansen called the ban on road building and the logging restrictions "one of the most egregious abuses by the Clinton administration."

Hansen also outlined other Clinton-era environmental actions that he thinks should be overturned -- from banning snowmobiles in parks to the president's string of monument designations.

Clinton advisers have argued that the impact on the timber industry would be minimal because the roadless areas -- although 31 percent of all federal forests -- account for only a small percentage of all timber taken from government-owned land.

Still, Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the plan "fatally flawed" and predicted it likely will be overturned by the courts. He has complained that the road-building restrictions would prevent the development of large reserves of natural gas, especially in the intermountain West. Timber, mining and energy industries already have threatened lawsuits against the forest plan.

Another of the plan's most vocal critics, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, has promised "to leave no stone unturned" to find a way to block the Clinton regulation. Several senators have said they will use a 1996 law -- which never has been invoked -- allowing Congress to rescind a regulation within 60 days.

But rescinding the regulation may not be easy.

A coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans increasingly has opposed road-building in federal forests, said Rep. George Miller, D- California. As to those who want to overturn Clinton's plan, "they better bring their lunch to that fight" because it will be intense, Miller said.

Environmentalists may still have concerns

While environmentalists are likely to be pleased, they could have two concerns. First, the regulations include a grandfather clause allowing for timber sales "already in the pipeline" rather than requiring a complete ban on logging.

Timber sales already under contract, and those sales already approved by the Forest Service and documented with a record of sale, would be allowed.

Also, in the Tongass, timber sales approved by the Forest Service but not yet documented with the required record of sale still would be allowed.

Secondly, the rule would allow for thinning out of small trees and underbrush when necessary to reduce the risk of forest fire or to preserve the health of the forest. Some environmentalists worry the rule could allow a loophole for logging.

Plan aims to ensure timber is available

The plan provides for a certain amount of assistance each year to communities to help redefine their economic base following any loss in timber sales.

The administration projects that six to seven years worth of timber supply would be available under the new rule, and it said the long-term goal is to make sure there is timber available for additional years in the future.

Friday's move may not be the last environmental initiative before Clinton's term expires. The president still has five additional monument proposals to consider from Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, according to a Clinton aide.