Clinton-era protection of 'roadless' areas under threat

  • 12/07/2001

With legal challenges looming, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it is reviewing one of President Clinton's most heralded environmental protections. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, implemented in the last weeks of the Clinton Administration, designated nearly 60 million acres in national forests off-limits to roadbuilding, most logging and other development requiring roads, but has faced problems since the outset.