Red Lodge Clearinghouse

The Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee (RACNAC) is considering the Forest Service's draft plan and environmental impact statement for managing the 9.3 million inventoried roadless acres in Idaho. The plan is based on Risch's petition, but critics say several major changes show the agency is attempting to expand development and logging activities in the roadless areas.

Lt. Gov. Jim Risch (R) called on the committee, the media and interest groups to focus on the gains Idaho and the Forest Service have made in addressing the roadless question, rather than the remaining policy and language differences.

"The message that's getting out is the concerns as opposed to the agreement amongst us," Risch said. "I know agreement doesn't sell newspapers. Disagreement does."

The biggest disagreements come over the designation of 5.2 million acres as "backcountry/restoration," which would allow exceptions for temporary roadbuilding and emergency actions, as well as the phosphate mining activity.

The rule would allow temporary roads for "stewardship purposes," although that term is not defined. Risch told the committee he does not want it used as a "ruse" for major logging activities and called on the panel to develop a clear definition that would allow foresters to protect communities and watersheds.

"That term is not intended to be used for commercial harvesting purposes," Risch said.

Brad Brooks of the Wilderness Society in Idaho said Risch's intent is irrelevant if the language of the rule is not changed. "Intentions aren't going to make a bit of difference in the future when this is being implemented," Brooks said.

Environmentalists prefer language in the Clinton roadless rule that allows exceptions for roadbuilding based on "imminent threats," rather than the questionable stewardship language. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte in San Francisco reinstated the Clinton-era Roadless Area Conservation Rule in September 2006, prohibiting roadbuilding, logging and mineral development on 50 million acres nationwide.

Risch urges 'sideboards' on phosphate mining, public comment

Under the plan, more than 3 million acres would be labeled as "wild land recreation," "primitive" or "special areas of historic and tribal significance," where most development or mechanized human disturbances would be limited.

Those lands will have "substantially higher" protections than the Clinton roadless rule. "No roads of any kind, at any time for any purpose," Risch said. "That is not insignificant."

Meanwhile, Risch endorsed "sideboards" for the areas where phosphate mining would be allowed. Currently, the backcountry designation would allow phosphate activity on all 5.2 million acres, but he said that is unnecessary as the phosphate sites in southeastern Idaho are well marked.

The Forest Service projects 545 million tons of phosphate deposits would be available from 12,000 currently unleased acres. Currently, "opportunities to recover phosphate from Idaho Roadless Areas are negligible," the draft EIS states.

In addition, the Forest Service estimates that 351,000 acres of land with "high potential" for geothermal development could become available.

Risch also said public comment should be required before any changes to the plan are made in the future, a requirement not currently in the roadless proposal.

"We should not lose this opportunity to do what we set out to do here," he said.

Risch first petitioned the Forest Service for the Idaho rule and developed the plan as Idaho's governor in 2006, after he took over for Dirk Kempthorne, who left to become Interior Secretary. Risch is now running for the Senate seat being vacated by Larry Craig.

Both Risch and Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell skirted the proposal to designate about 610,000 roadless acres as "general" national forest land.

"It's the assumption that I think the governor is trying to impress on people is to assume these 600k acres aren't worthy of protection." Brooks said.

Idaho residents want more roadless protections -- poll

Two environmental groups this week released a poll they say shows Idaho residents want stronger protections on the 9.3 million acres of roadless forests in Idaho

According to the poll by More Information, 62 percent of residents do not believe the Forest Service should reduce existing protections on roadless lands.

The Heritage Forests Campaign of Pew Environmental Group and Idaho Conservation League released the poll Tuesday. The poll of 400 "likely registered voters" carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

Sixty percent of residents "strongly" opposed new industrial development in the roadless areas, with 58 percent opposing new road construction. One-third of residents would not oppose new roads, according to the poll.

Meanwhile, Risch is doing well in the early stages of the Senate race, according to the Moore poll.

Risch has a 42 percent to 33 percent lead over the top Democratic candidate, former Rep. Larry LaRocco. Twenty-two percent of likely voters were undecided.

Click here to view the Idaho roadless documents.

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