U.S. Forest Service Planning Rule - From ARRA Newsletter

[Ovo]

Just some interesting Government actions with regards to ORV and National Forestry..

http://www.arra-access.com/site/PageSer ... 012#forest


The long wait is finally over. On January 26th, the U. S. Forest Service released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and indicated its "preferred alternative" in terms of a new planning rule. A 30 day comment period will soon commence before the Record of Decision becomes final.

The proposed rule clearly acknowledges the importance of outdoor recreation on Forest Service land and specifically recognizes motorized recreation as a legitimate outdoor activity. Prior releases virtually ignored recreation in general, so we are pleased that the agency now is acknowledging and highlighting this activity.

The agency is proposing the "Alternate A" option as the final rule, subject to further revision in the next month or so. This is a very complicated rule and we think the only people who will be pleased will be the lawyers who will go to court contesting certain provisions in future management plans. Concepts such a "best available science" and "sustainable recreation" are difficult to define and interpret. Major arguments will ensue and lawsuits will challenge whether any specific management plan meets such standards and more. If you care to read it on your own, here's a link to the Forest Service Planning Rule "Alternative A."

http://www.fs.usda.gov/planningrule

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/planningrule/collaboration

The Forest Service planning team worked hard in soliciting public input when fashioning this rule. Regrettably, we believe they have fallen short in fashioning a workable rule that streamlines the planning process. We hope we are wrong, but our fear is that federal courts will be very busy in the years to come.