[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 3] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 3825-3826] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]WE NEED TO KEEP RULES TO PROTECT FOREST ROADLESS AREAS ______ HON. MARK UDALL of colorado in the house of representatives Thursday, March 15, 2001 Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, the new Administration is reviewing a number of new rules and regulations proposed or adopted by the Clinton-Gore Administration last year. I understand why a new Administration would want to undertake such a review. And there may be some areas where a change of course might be appropriate. But there is definitely one set of new rules that should be retained as they stand--the new rules to protect the remaining roadless areas of our national forests. Those rules make good sense as a way to protect natural resources, provide more diverse recreational opportunities, and preserve some of the undisturbed landscapes that make Colorado and other western States such special places to live and visit. That is why the Mayor of Boulder, Colorado, has written to President Bush urging retention of the roadless-area rules. It is why the Boulder City Council has adopted a resolution supporting those rules. And it is why I have written Secretary of Agriculture Anne M. Veneman, urging that the rules be kept in place. For the information of our colleagues, I am including in the Record at this point my letter to the Secretary, the letter to the President from Mayor R. Toor, and the resolution of the Boulder City Council. [[Page 3826]] Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, March 13, 2001. Hon. Ann M. Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. Dear Secretary Veneman: I am enclosing a copy of a letter to the President from William R. Toor, Mayor of the City of Boulder, Colorado, regarding the new rules for management of inventoried roadless areas published in the Federal Register in January, 2000, and a resolution regarding those rules that was recently adopted by the Boulder City Council. As you can see, Mayor Toor's letter and the City Council's resolution support these rules and urge their full implementation. I join in that recommendation. I am convinced that these rules make good sense as a way to protect natural resources, provide more diverse recreational opportunities and preserve some of the undisturbed landscapes that are such a special part of Colorado and other Western states. The new rules were developed through an extensive public process. They were the subject of both draft and final environmental impact statements. They were discussed at more than 600 public meetings and were the subject of more than 1.5 million public comments. In my opinion, these rules reflect the highest standards of science-based public policy. Biologists tell us the inventoried roadless areas of the national forests are valuable for wildlife, and support ecosystem health and the full range of native species. They also are important sources of clean water for many communities like Boulder, in Colorado and other states, and provide a bulwark against the spread of invasive species, such as the many species of weeds that plague ranchers in our state and throughout the west. And, above all, these special areas ``possess social and ecological values and characteristics that are becoming scarce in an increasingly developed landscape,'' in the words of the final environmental impact statement. The areas to be covered by the new rules were identified by detailed, on-the-ground studies that have been regularly updated and supplemented through the regular forest-planning process and additional studies focused on threatened and endangered species or other aspects of forest management. For example, the Forest Service's latest Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest plan, developed with extensive public involvement, was completed in 1997. It identifies more than 300,000 acres of roadless areas--including some 40,000 acres in Boulder County alone. The new rules will apply to those areas and will simply mean that their roadless characteristics will be maintained. That forest is one of the closest to the Denver-metro area, so it is one of the most heavily used and affected. If we do not begin now to protect the unspoiled lands in that forest--and similar forests throughout Colorado and the West--we will lose forever the natural benefits and special qualities that they provide. These rules will provide long-overdue protection for some of the most important parts of our federal lands. People in other states may have different reactions, but in view of the importance of the national forests for our state and our country I think they deserve the support of every Coloradan and should be retained by the Bush Administration. Sincerely, Mark Udall. ____ City of Boulder, Office of the City Manager, Boulder, CO, February 26, 2001. President George W. Bush, The White House, Washington, DC. Dear President Bush, I am writing on behalf of the City of Boulder to voice our strong support for full and prompt implementation of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule published in the Federal Register on January 12, 2001 (66 Fed. Reg. 3244). On February 6, 2001 the Boulder City Council unanimously approved the attached Resolution asking you to reaffirm the commitment to designate more than 58 million acres of inventoried roadless areas. In particular, the City of Boulder has a great interest in the protection of roadless areas in the Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forests because of their proximity to Boulder and association with other public lands which are vital to protecting high quality native ecosystems and recreational opportunities. On behalf of the City Council and the people of Boulder Colorado, I respectfully request that you direct the Secretary of Agriculture to initiate the process for protecting the 58 million acres designated in the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Thank you for your support in this matter. Sincerely, William R. Toor, Mayor. ____ Resolution No. 875 A Resolution of the City Council for the City of Boulder, Colorado, in Support of the Executive Order Designating New Roadless Areas on United States Forest Service Lands. Whereas, the City of Boulder strongly supports President Clinton's initiative to manage roadless areas on National Forest Land; Whereas, the City of Boulder has a great interest in the protection of the Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forests because of their proximity to Boulder and association with other public lands which are vital to protecting high quality native ecosystems and recreational opportunities; Whereas, the City of Boulder supports the proposal to restrict certain activities in unroaded portions of inventoried roadless areas, as identified in RARE II and existing forest plan inventories; Whereas, it is well known that road construction and use in wildlife habitat areas can contribute significantly to habitat fragmentation and stress on wildlife species; Whereas, the initiative restricts road construction and establishes protective criteria for managing roadless areas that will have positive impacts for biodiversity and enhanced plant and wildlife protection; Whereas, over the course of a 13 month period, the U.S. Forest Service received 1.7 million letters, faxes, e-mails and postcards in support of the Clinton Administration's forest initiative, providing the strongest possible protection to National Forest roadless areas; Whereas, on November 13, 2000, the Forest Service released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that supported the roadless area designation; Whereas, on January 5, 2001 President Clinton signed the Record of Decision designating 58 and half million acres of public land as roadless areas; Whereas, the Record of Decision has been suspended by President Bush; Therefore, be it resolved that the City of Boulder reaffirms its commitment to full implementation of the Executive Order designating 58 and half million acres of public land as roadless areas in perpetuity; and that the City of Boulder calls upon President Bush to reaffirm the executive order and not delay implementation of the Executive Order; and directs that copies of this Resolution be sent to the elected representatives of the residents of this municipality, including the U.S. Representative(s), U.S. Senators, and the President. Passed and adopted this 6th day of February, 2001. William R. Toor, Mayor. ____________________