California Fires Back at U.S. Forest Service

Roadless Policy is No Impediment to Fighting Fires
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
California's Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman today
questioned a roadless area speech delivered by U.S. Agriculture
Undersecretary Mark Rey as being, "difficult to comprehend." Chrisman
said Rey's remarks regarding California roadless areas and fire
suppression costs, delivered yesterday during a Wildland Urban
Interface conference in Reno, "make no sense at all and are contrary
to the facts," since California's roadless area policy provides an
exception for the construction of roads to fight fires.

"Since day one we have been clear and consistent with our roadless
policy and it has always included an exception for roads to be built
to fight fires," Chrisman said. In fact, we have put this in writing
several times and it has in turn been acknowledged by the Forest
Service. So, it's difficult to comprehend Mark's comments since they
are contrary to the facts and to California's roadless area policy."

California's policy, that the Forest Service fails to recognize in
management plans for four Southern California forests, specifically
allows for roads to be built for fighting fires. Letters exchanged
between Chrisman and two Forest Service regional foresters, attest to
that fact.

On Feb. 28, Chrisman and California Attorney General Edmund G.
Brown Jr. filed a U.S. District court complaint contesting four
Southern California forest management plans. The litigation alleges
that the Forest Service failed to consider California's roadless area
policy in violation of the National Forest Management Act. In
addition, the complaint claims that the Forest Service failed to
conduct appropriate environmental analysis in violation of the
National Environmental Policy Act.

Attachments available at:
www.resources.ca.gov/keeping_californias_roadless_areas_roadless.html

California Resources Agency
Sandy Cooney, 916-653-9402

Copyright Business Wire 2008