Bush administration won't block Clinton forest plan
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May 3, 2001
Web posted at: 4:17 PM EDT (2017 GMT)

From John King
CNN senior White House correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has decided to proceed with a
Clinton administration plan to put about a third of national forest lands off
limits to new development, senior officials tell CNN.
But the administration will pledge to implement the rule in a manner that
takes sharp criticism from a federal judge into account, the officials said.
The officials declined to describe how that promise might lead to
modifications to the Clinton plan, saying the plans were being reviewed and
finalized in preparation for a Friday announcement by Agriculture Secretary
Ann Veneman. The officials also noted that the court challenge is ongoing.
"But I can say the rule will not be delayed," said a senior administration
official involved in the discussions. A second official said the changes
would be "balanced, but that doesn't mean environmentalists won't attack us."
Environmental groups and aides to lawmakers who support the Clinton reacted
warily. They said it would be critical to see, for example, whether the Bush
administration revised the rule in a manner that reduced the amount of land
protected.
One way to do that would be to give more weight to objections filed by state
and local officials in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho and Utah; the judge hearing
the challenge has said the views of local officials were not properly
considered in the Clinton rulemaking process.
Or, some environmental groups predict the administration might leave the
Clinton language in place but add a provision allowing local forest managers
to waive key provisions on a case-by-case basis.
The administration faces a Friday deadline to take a position in the
challenge, being heard by a federal judge in Idaho.
The Clinton plan would put nearly 60 million acres of forest land off limits
to road-building and most logging.
It is one of several late Clinton administration environmental initiatives
reviewed by the new administration. In this case, more than 100 Democratic
lawmakers in Congress signed a letter to Bush urging him to uphold the
Clinton rules, and 22 Republicans sent a similar letter to the president.
The Bush administration review delayed implementation of the rule until May
12. But in the statement to U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge on Friday the
administration will make clear it plans to let the rule take effect, the
officials said.
The suit being heard in Boise was filed by the state of Idaho and the timber
giant Boise Cascade. They are seeking an injunction blocking the Clinton rule
from taking effect, meaning the administration's decision could ultimately be
overruled by the court decision.