On December 12, a federal appeals court in California reinstated a Clinton-era rule that protects nearly 60 million acres of national forests from logging and road construction. The decision lifts an injunction issued by a federal judge in Idaho, who in May of 2001, found the rule would cause “irreparable harm” to the timber industry.
The Bush administration declined to appeal this ruling, and in fact, seemed to embrace it. However, a coalition of environmental groups, led by Earthjustice, intervened and won a strong rebuke to the injunction.