Ritter calls for interim roadless protections

Deborah Frazier, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 10, 2006 at midnight

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Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter today joined Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. John Salazar, both D-Colo., in asking federal officials to take about 20,000 acres of roadless Forest Service land off the auction block for oil and gas development.

"The federal government promised to protect this land while states draft their own roadless protection plans," Ritter said. "That process is still underway. It would be a terrible betrayal of states' rights for the federal government to now put this forest land on the auction block."

Earlier this week, Sen. Salazar wrote to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Interior to maintain roadless protections for the land. Salazar said the protection was promised when the Bush Administration gave each western state the opportunity to develop their own roadless rules.

Colorado's own roadless task force was unable to agree on interim protections in the proposed draft that will be available for public comment, but may seek the protections after the comment period and before the recommendations go to Gov. Bill Owens.

Russ George, director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and chairman of the roadless task force, opposes interim protections that would keep roadless areas roadless in the several year period before the regulations are completed.

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