The Bush administration recently announced its intent to loosen a Clinton-era rule that bans road construction in 58.5 million acres of national forests -- opening the door to logging in wilderness areas. Specifically, the U.S. Forest Service plans to issue an amendment allowing states to seek exemptions from the roadless rule in cases of “exceptional circumstances.” Such instances would include road construction needed “to protect public health and safety or reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical wildlife habitat,” according to the agency. The Forest Service, as part of a legal settlement, also plans to issue a rule reopening 300,000 acres of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to logging. The State of Alaska, claiming that economic development had been adversely impacted, challenged the roadless rule in court in January of 2000. Although the administration has pledged to retain the roadless rule, these forthcoming actions promise to undermine efforts to preserve wilderness areas. “It’s a sweetheart deal between the timber industry and the Bush administration,” Tom Waldo of Earthjustice told the Washington Post. In fact, the changes were announced by Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey, a former timber-industry lobbyist. The Forest Service expects to propose the amendment to the roadless rule in the fall with the goal of finalizing it before the end of the calendar year. The agency also plans to complete the proposal opening up Tongass National Forest by September.