In a controversial move, the Trump administration announced today that it is assenting to the State of Alaska’s request to rescind existing conservation rules that prohibit road construction and logging in roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska and will attempt to replace those protections with a weaker state-specific rule designed to appease the state's relatively small, yet vocal, timber industry.
In January, the State of Alaska petitioned Secretary Perdue to initiate a rulemaking process to exempt the Tongass from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (the Roadless Rule). Today's announcement responds to that petition.
Former Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO, Jamie Rappaport Clark, issued the following statement:
“The Trump administration's decision to appease the State of Alaska and walk away from protections for roadless areas and old-growth habitat in the Tongass National Forest is devastating news for Tongass wildlife that rely on intact forests and watersheds like wolves, deer and salmon. The Trump administration has demonstrated yet again that it will not rest until all of America’s treasured public lands and wild spaces are exploited, industrialized, and opened up for more logging, roadbuilding, drilling, and other commercial activities.”
For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.
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