The Colorado Mining Association is asking the US Supreme Court to consider an appeal of a lower court ruling upholding a national rule blocking development on so-called roadless national forests.
The move is the latest twist in an ongoing legal battle over the controversial plan.
In its , the association argues the 2001 federal roadless rule erroneously included land in western Colorado where coal mining has occurred for more than a century. The group originally joined with the state of Wyoming in 2007 in an unsuccessful legal challenge to the Clinton-era plan.
CMA President Stuart Sanderson says, if upheld, the 2001 rule would have "devastating" impacts in Colorado, home to roughly 4.2 million acres of roadless forests.
"Essentially it was a one-size-fits-all rule that would have basically included those areas de facto wilderness and off limits to mining."聽
Sanderson has been a supporter of a that exempts some previously protected forests for coal mine expansions.
It鈥檚 not clear whether the Supreme Court will hear his group鈥檚 case, nor is it entirely clear whether Colorado鈥檚 soon-to-be finalized state rule is in line with declaring the 2001 roadless rule the law of the land.
You can listen below to Kirk Siegler talking about the roadless rule on Friday morning.
http://media.cpr.org/audio/ColoradoMatters/2012/05/18/roadless.32.mp3
