News: State of California Sues USFS

California Sues US Over Forest Plan

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California sued the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday for adopting a management plan that would allow for the construction of roads and oil drilling in the state's largest national forests.

The lawsuit, filed by the state attorney general's office in federal court, claims the plan ignores a state moratorium on road construction in pristine areas of national forests and asks for an injunction. The California Resources Agency and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are also plaintiffs.

"Today in the face of threats, we are forced to once again stand up for California's forests," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Despite repeated attempts to ensure that the United State Forest Service honor its written assurances that California's roadless areas would be protected they have failed to do so."

The plan would open up more than 500,000 acres in the Angeles, Los Padres, Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests to road construction. It also would allow for oil drilling on more than 52,000 acres in or around Los Padres National Forest.

The lawsuit accuses the Forest Service of violating federal environmental laws that require it to draft the management plans in coordination with state laws and policies. The Forest Service did not consider the environmental impacts of making more trails available to off-road vehicles and the potential harm to the endangered California condor from more oil and gas exploration, the lawsuit says.

The forests stretch from Big Sur on the Central Coast to the Mexican border and provide habitat for at least 31 animal species and 29 plants that are federally listed as threatened or endangered, as well as 34 sensitive animal species.

Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman said the Forest Service said in 2005 and 2006 correspondence that it would not allow road construction in these areas. Each of the country's 155 national forests has its own management plan, which is periodically updated.

Forest Service spokeswoman Allison Stewart said they were reviewing the lawsuit and looked forward to resolving the dispute. Stewart did not comment on the drilling, but said the roads were needed to fight fires, which have been a perennial issue in the tinder dry wilderness.

Source: The Associated Press