Lift of “roadless” rule pending?

Rep. Don Young secured a long-sought exemption from the federal “roadless” rule in national forests
in a narrow vote on an amendment to the federal farm bill. The bill itself stalled over other issues but House leaders will be bringing it back for another vote, including Young’s amendment. Young worked to get a win by razor-thin one-vote margin on the roadless amendment, 208 to 207. The roadless rule has blocked U.S. Forest Service development of access roads into undeveloped parts of the huge Ton- gass National Forest in Southeast Alaska, effectively blocking new timber sales.