Judge rules on road ban in forests

[cal04]

A federal judge has ruled that a Clinton-era ban on road construction in national forests applies to hundreds of oil and gas leases sold by the Bush administration.

U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte's ruling Wednesday means that holders of more than 300 leases that permit oil and gas exploration in national forests cannot build roads to access those areas.

Laporte's order follows her September ruling that reinstated the 2001 ``roadless rule'' prohibiting logging, mining and other development on 58.5 million acres of wilderness in 38 states and Puerto Rico.

In that earlier ruling, Laporte said the Bush administration had failed to conduct necessary environmental studies before it instituted a process in May 2005 that required governors to petition the federal government to protect national forests in their states.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061201/ap_on_re_us/roadless_forests_1

[mike_c]

1. YES!!!!

This is a very important environmental victory-- it puts environmental protections before business interests and corporate profits. Thank you, Judge Laporte!

[NOLADEM]

2. HOTDAMN !!!!! GREAT NEWS

Rare news these days that makes me smile.

[Zorra]

3. "the Bush administration had failed to conduct necessary

environmental studies"

I'm shocked.

Thank you, Judge Laporte.
:toast:

[Massacure]

4. So they can drill, but not pave? Haha, that's amusing!

:evilgrin:

[Lefty-Taylor]

5. That 11th hour move by Clinton to ban roadless exploitation shoudl have happened

sooner but at least he did it in the final moments and what great news today!!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

14. That's OK.

They'll just lift everything out on helicopters. :)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. Thank you, Judge Laporte!

:hug:
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[aaronbees]

7. Now that's some really great news!

No surprise BushCo failed to do environmental studies before they plowed ahead with plans to rape the land.

Great, great ruling.

[Pastiche423]

8. Good news is almost too hard to believe

Thank you, Judge Laporte!

[liberaltrucker]

9. HOORAY!!!

Having worked in oil and gas exploration in the 1980's, I can
assure you that roads aren't necessary. During exploration and
subsequent drilling, all necessary equipment and supplies can
be flown in by helicopter. The only real scar is the well site.

Thank you, Your Honor, for filtering out corporate bullshit!

:toast:

[OregonBlue]

16. Does it make the cost prohibitive?

[TransitJohn]

17. That's not true

How are you gonna fly in drilling fluids, crews, the derrick, all of that. I work wellsite geology, and support this ruling...just saying you can't really fly all that in on chopper....won't work, would make the well 100 times as costly, thus not economically viable. These land wells currently cost $5-$10 million each already.

[liberaltrucker]

19. I stand corrected

All our exploration equipment was flown in, so I just assumed.....
Since I never worked at wellsites, I didn't consider the much
larger logistical problems. :dunce:

[0rganism]

10. best enviro news I've read in years, thanks!

Usually we're losing ground at every turn. Finally, the winds blow in our direction for a change!

[Hawkowl]

11. Go F yerself Cheney!

Rec #5

[Judi Lynn]

12. Hope this will be one in a great series of decent, sane rulings to overturn

rapacious, destructive projects fully condoned by this administration.

[snappyturtle]

13. There is a Santa Claus! K&R n/t

[texpatriot2004]

15. Thank you Judge for protecting the forests and the environment

well done.

[Vidar]

18. Applauding the judge.

[nam78_two]

20. Yay for judges! No wonder Cheney told

the Federalist society how much judges suck and how all they have are "opinions"...

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[buddysmellgood]

21. God damn checks-n-balances activists judges.