Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Bush Administration's Media Manipulation--MediaGate? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (7085)	6/1/2006 10:34:06 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9838

I am 100% for this......more people need to stand up and protect our sacred open spaces...... Gov. Seeks to Protect Roadless Forests (NM - Richardson) The Albuquerque Journal ^ \| Thursday, June 1, 2006 \| Tania Soussan abqjournal.com Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday became the first Western governor to petition the Bush administration for protection of all roadless national forest land in the state. "I'm going to fight to protect 1.7 million acres of pristine New Mexico land," he said in a national telephone news conference. "New Mexico's roadless areas promote the health of rivers and streams. Roadless areas support significant and complex wildlife communities and ... create unique valuable recreational opportunities." Richardson has been a vocal critic of President Bush's decision to replace a Clinton-era rule protecting all roadless forest land with a state-by-state petition process. Richardson and Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, said Wednesday that the federal government unfairly denied New Mexico any financial help to prepare its petition. "The Bush administration has politicized this process to an incredible degree by funding only governors of their own party," Clapp said. Most of the 1.6 million acres of inventoried roadless forest land in New Mexico is protected from road-building— at least temporarily— in individual forest plans. But 351,000 acres are open to new roads, according to a state Game and Fish Department report released Wednesday. Roadless areas support healthy watersheds and ecosystems, are less vulnerable to severe wildfires and have less wildlife poaching, according to the state's petition. In addition, the Forest Service already has a $37.7 million yearly road maintenance backlog in New Mexico, according to the Game and Fish report. The petition calls for a permanent ban on new roads and most commercial timber harvest. However, current access to roadless areas wouldn't change. "This proposal that I put forth will not close existing roads and does not affect the ability of New Mexicans to use off-road vehicles and fight fires," Richardson said.