Thursday April 26 8:12 PM ET

Clinton Accused of Secret Meetings in Forest Case By Christopher Doering WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans accused former President Bill Clinton's administration on Thursday of secretly meeting with environmentalists and ignoring an energy crisis to protect millions of acres (hectares) of U.S. forest land. The Clinton administration's ban on road building in federal forests is supported by green groups and bitterly opposed by oil, natural gas and timber companies. Republicans including Idaho's Sen. Larry Craig, who heads the subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management, and Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski said at Thursday's hearing that Clinton officials secretly met with national environmental groups in early December. ``Contacts between senior Clinton administration officials and environmental group leaders occurred after the close of the public comment period and after the close of the final'' environmental impact study, Murkowski said. This ``represents yet another statutory violation which the courts will undoubtedly be asked to review,'' he said. The ban on roads in federal forests, approved by Clinton two weeks before he left office, would restrict the removal of oil and lumber in 58.5 million acres (23.67 million hectares) of forest land. Under the rule, roads may only be built for environmental reasons or to reduce the risk of fires. Last November, the DOE study reported that nearly 11.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 550 million barrels of oil may be beneath the roadless area. The Energy Department has estimated that this is enough to supply the country for nearly six months. Eight lawsuits have already been filed against the rule. The states of Idaho, Alaska and Utah and lumber producer, Boise Cascade Corp. among others, have filed suit in Idaho U.S. district court seeking a preliminary injunction that would keep the ban on roads from becoming law. The ban was scheduled to go in effect on March 13, but President Bush delayed it until May 12 to allow further study. The administration said it will issue its opinion of the roadless policy by May 4. Critics Cite Delays Craig criticized the Clinton administration for waiting until last October, nearly a year after it postponed setting aside U.S. land from development, before requesting an energy analysis of the roadless area from the DOE. He added that the energy crisis was largely ignored by Clinton who favored siding with environmental groups in developing his policy. ``This was a significant oversight in light of today's developing energy crisis,'' Craig said. The rule has been hotly debated between environmentalists and businesses. Green groups argue the rule will protect endangered species and prevent irreversible damage. ``At some point the next new energy activity will be the one that leads to a potential irreversible destruction in the ability of (animals) to survive,'' said Rollin Sparrowe, president of the Wildlife Management Institute. Environmental groups fear that Bush's overturn of several last-minute Clinton environmental rules -- including policies to ease restrictions on gas emissions from power plants and curb mining waste -- foreshadow a halt to the roadless rule. The Washington Post reported on Thursday the White House asked the Justice Department to look for ways to block it. But Randy Phillips, deputy chief at the Forest Service, told the panel: ``I am not aware of any instructions like that.''

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2001