AK Governor interevenes in “roadless rule” to save timber industry

January 30th, 2010 - 4:39 pm ICT by BNO News  

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (BNO NEWS) – Alaska Governor Sean Parnell on Friday directed his Attorney General to intervene on the State’s behalf in response to lawsuits that threaten the Southeast Alaska timber industry.

The State of Alaska has sought intervener status in two cases: to uphold Alaska’s exemption in the Tongass National Forest from the Forest Service’s “roadless rule,” and to support the Forest Service’s authority to proceed with the overall Logjam timber sale and the pending Diesel timber sale.

“Our timber jobs are at stake; we have many businesses and families that depend upon timber in the Tongass,” Governor Parnell said. “We’ll use every tool at our disposal to make sure that the exemption from the roadless rule remains in place and that the Diesel sale can proceed.”

The Tongass exemption came as the result of a settlement agreement with the state, the Attorney General said.

If the exemption is repealed or permanently enjoined, the state might have to renew its challenge to the roadless rule itself. It’s about the future of the commercial timber harvest in the Tongass.

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