Sep 12, 2006 8:25 am US/Mountain
Roadless Group Fails To Endorse Interim Protection
DENVER (AP) ―
A state task force on Monday endorsed protecting most of Colorado's 4.1 million roadless acres but rejected a bid to stop potential development while awaiting a final decision from state and federal officials.
Under the recommendations, temporary roads could be built for logging and other work to prevent wildfires and to gain access to existing energy and mineral leases. Ski areas would also be able to build roads on up to 10,000 acres and operations and roads for the North Fork Valley Mine in the Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest could also be increased.
The rest of the remote land, declared off-limits to development in the closing days of the Clinton administration, would be protected. The roadless protections were challenged in the courts and replaced last year by the Bush administration, potentially opening the land to logging and other development.
The recommendations now go to Gov. Bill Owens, who has until mid-November to petition the federal government to protect the land. He doesn't have to accept the recommendations from the 13-member bipartisan group.
Advocates of banning new roads have said that it could take up to two years for federal and state officials to write a rule implementing Colorado's plan.
"It leaves me very anxious for the all the good work we put in," said task force member Steve Smith, assistant director of the Denver-based regional office of The Wilderness Society. "In the 3,000 comments we received since our last meeting in August, 90 percent mentioned the interim protections as important."
However Russ George, director of the Department of Natural Resources, said he didn't think the task force had the power to do that.
"We have more important issues to deal with without getting wrapped around that where we have no authority," he said.
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