Bush Administration Environmental Rollbacks Are Primary Threat To America's Public Lands

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Bush Administration Environmental Rollbacks Are Primary Threat To America's Public Lands

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For Immediate Release

Bush Administration Environmental Rollbacks Are Primary Threat To America's Public Lands

The Wilderness Society's "15 Most Endangered Wildlands" Reveals Long List Of White House Proposals That Threaten Scenic Public Lands & Wildlife

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Jun. 1 -/E-Wire/-- Of all the environmental hazards now facing America's national parks, national forests, national monuments, and other public lands, the Bush administration's anti-environmental proposals currently pose the greatest threat according to The Wilderness Society's fifth annual listing of the "15 Most Endangered Wildlands." The list was released today to mark Earth Day on April 22.

"Sadly, America celebrates the 31st annual Earth Day facing the systematic roll back of critical environmental protections by the Bush administration," said William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society. "From arsenic in our drinking water to industrial development in protected places, the first three months of the new administration produced a stunning litany of anti- environmental proposals that threaten our health, our communities and our world- famous wild places."

The enviromental rollbacks that directly threaten wildlands include:

* Proposing to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in national forest roadless areas, national monuments and other public lands protected for their unique beauty, wildlife and other natural resources

* failing to support existing protections for national forest roadless areas

* undermining protections for national parks from damage caused by snowmobiles, swamp buggies and other off-road vehicles

* abandoning a pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming

* signaling the intended withdrawl of new reclamation safeguards for "hard rock" mining

* soliciting ideas for reversing protections afforded national monuments from damage caused by all-terrain vehicles, industrial development and other destructive activities

The safeguards the Bush administration is trying to unravel are the result of years of open public process, involving millions of people. For example, they continue to delay implementation of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a U.S. Forest Service conservation policy that resulted from the greatest public outreach in the history of federal rulemaking. The U. S. Forest Service received more than 1.6 million official comments from the American public and conducted more than 600 hearings nationwide.

The proposed rollbacks would directly impact Americans across the country. One example is Don Newhouse, a registered Republican and retired resident of Yarnell, AZ. Newhouse says the Bush administration's efforts to overturn mining safeguards threatens the future existence of his community and ignores four years of extensive public comment supporting the new rules.

"I attended several hearings in Arizona," Newhouse said. "My comments should count. In fact, the thousands of comments collected over the four-year rulemaking should count. They shouldn't just be trashed in favor of special interests. I served my country. I serve my community. And I participate in our democracy. With this decision by President Bush, I wonder if my government is serving me or the special interests?"

The Wilderness Society's "15 Most Endangered Wildlands for 2001" are:

AK – Arctic National Wildlife Refuge AK – Copper River Delta, Chugach National Forest AK – Denali National Park and Preserve AZ – Greater Grand Canyon Ecosystem CA – San Joaquin Roadless Area, Inyo National Forest CA & OR – Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge CO – White River National Forest FL – Big Cypress National Preserve MT – Badger Two Medicine/Rocky Mountain Front MT – Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument MT, WY & ID – Greater Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks TN – Upper Bald River Roadless Area, Cherokee National Forest UT – Utah Wilderness WA – Kettle River Range Roadless Areas, Colville National Forest WY – Red Desert

The annual list of the nation's "15 Most Endangered Wildlands" identifies the serious problems that currently threaten the preservation of America's protected public lands. This year, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge tops the list of the most endangered wildlands because although it is considered to be one of the most spectacular and pristine wilderness areas in North America, it has been singled out by the Bush administration for oil and gas drilling.

The Wilderness Society compiled this year's list by reviewing dozens of endangered wildlands and evaluating each one for: the immediacy of the environmental threat; the gravity of the threat and the permanence of damage it causes the wildlands; the special significance of the wildland compared with others across the nation; and the negative precedent that would be set if the threat goes unchecked.

Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to preserve America's wilderness and to develop a network of wildlands through public education, scientific analysis and advocacy. Our goal is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, wildlife, natural beauty, opportunities for recreation and spiritual renewal that protected forests, rivers, deserts and mountains provide.

TV PRODUCERS Producers please note, broadcast quality video b-roll of many "most endangered wildlands" is available. Contact Dwayne Freeman at 202- 429-2616 or email: [REDACTED-EMAIL]

The Wilderness Society

http://www.wilderness.org/newsroom/15most/2001

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