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Bush's forest plan halted |
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Sep 21, 2006 - A federal judge Wednesday reinstated Clinton-era forest protections, overturning the Bush administration's proposal to open one-third of the United States' national forests to logging. The 58.5 million acres include huge swaths of land across much of the West, along with smaller patches in the East -- in 38 states and in Puerto Rico. In North Carolina, the decision would impact 174,000 acres of roadless land in the state's Pisgah, Nantahala and Croatan national forests - about 15 percent of the state's national forest land. Gov. Mike Easley and more than 50,000 state residents have pushed to protect the land, touting its environmental benefits, its contribution to tourism, its black bear population, its riversheds and its contribution to clean drinking water for surrounding communities. Some of the mountainous areas include land along the Nantahala Gorge and near the Blue Ridge Parkway, popular tourist spots. By Barbara Barrett
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