October - December 2012
Supreme Court logging roads case in limbo
January 23, 2013 AFRC Newsletter
On January 8, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a request by the State of Oregon to be allowed to file further information on the effect of the new EPA rule. All the parties - the state, industry, and the environmental organizations, had until January 22 to file further briefs. It is unlikely the Court make any decisions on if or how to proceed with the case until late February, at the earliest. In related developments, on January 4, the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC) filed a Petition in the Ninth Circuit seeking court review of the new EPA rule. It is clear NEDC intends to continue to pursue every available avenue to require permits for logging roads. This is entirely consistent with what their attorney told the Court.