Supreme Court declines forest lands case

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- An environmental group Monday welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to review the federal roadless rule for national forest lands.

The state of Wyoming had appealed to the nation's highest court after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver rejected its challenge of the regulation that protects about 46 million acres of national forest lands.

"For a decade, Earthjustice has opposed Wyoming's efforts to derail the popular roadless rule, which protects some of America's best national forest lands," Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles said in a statement. "With the Supreme Court's denial of Wyoming's petition for review, there should no longer be any question about the roadless rule's legality.

"The 10-plus years of our legal campaign to defend the roadless rule have seen many twists and turns in the legal process, but one thing hasn't changed -- the undeveloped forest lands at issue remain some of the most environmentally important public lands in our country. They produce clean water and clean air, offer a last refuge to imperiled wildlife across a warming, changing landscape, and provide world-class recreation opportunities for campers, hunters, hikers, fishermen, and bird watchers," Boyles said.

"Americans love these lands, and it has been an honor to represent those American values before the courts for the last decade."