Today the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by the State of Wyoming to review the legality of the Roadless Rule, which protects approximately 46 million acres of pristine National Forest lands. Wyoming lost its challenge to the rule before the Denver-based Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2011. Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles has worked to defend the protections embodied in the Roadless Rule and issued this statement.

Ice Lake Basin, Colorado. Dramatic scenery of Bear Mountain in a roadless area in Colorado’s Ice Lake Basin.
(© Nelson Guda, 2009 / nelsonguda.com)
View a photo slideshow of roadless areas.

“For a decade, Earthjustice has opposed Wyoming’s efforts to derail the popular Roadless Rule, which protects some of America’s best National Forest lands. With the Supreme Court’s denial of Wyoming’s petition for review, there should no longer be any question about the Roadless Rule’s legality.

“The ten-plus years of our legal campaign to defend the Roadless Rule have seen many twists and turns in the legal process, but one thing hasn’t changed—the undeveloped forest lands at issue remain some of the most environmentally important public lands in our country. They produce clean water and clean air, offer a last refuge to imperiled wildlife across a warming, changing landscape, and provide world-class recreation opportunities for campers, hunters, hikers, fishermen, and bird watchers. Americans love these lands, and it has been an honor to represent those American values before the courts for the last decade.”