October 20th, 2005 - WASHINGTON – U.S. District Judge James K. Singleton, Jr. backed off his earlier order today holding up 1,400 Forest Service projects which are accomplished in forests in Wyoming and around the nation.
“It’s never too late for a judge to back off of a bad idea. This is just the clarification we were looking for so that the Forest Service can continue to do its job,” U.S. Senator Craig Thomas said. “People in Wyoming depend on the forest for a number of important services, permits, and wildfire safety measures.”
“It’s too bad that excessive litigation and judges rulings continue to jeopardize the management of our forests. I want to put forest management back in forest managers’ hands,” Thomas said.
The Eastern District of California judge’s ruling was labeled ‘absurd’ by Thomas a week ago. In urging the USDA to fight a recent federal court ruling that would halt many public activities on the forest land, Thomas said he will fully back the Forest Service in their efforts to overturn the California ruling. The judge said the request for a stay is still pending, but he did clarify his ruling today.
Thomas urged the Forest Service to appeal the ruling and battle it head on in a letter dated October 18, 2005. “The forest managers should know that there are many folks in Congress who will stand with them to provide the resources they need to knock the decision back down,” Thomas said.
Thomas blasted the court ruling as “absurd,” last week saying that if a federal court had its way it would stop public rights on public lands – even so far as the permitting for Christmas trees in the Black Hills National Forest in Northeastern Wyoming.
Thomas continues to review legislative options in the Senate, in case there is not a quick resolution to the problem created by the court.
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