The Bush administration recently announced its intent to loosen a Clinton-era rule that bans road construction in 58.5 million acres of national forests -- opening the door to logging in wilderness areas. Specifically, the U.S. Forest Service plans to issue an amendment allowing states to seek exemptions from the roadless rule in cases of “exceptional circumstances.” Such instances would include road construction needed “to protect public health and safety or reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical wildlife habitat,” according to the agency.

The Bush administration recently finalized standards that will allow more forest-thinning projects to evade the established environmental review process, including public appeals -- likely accelerating logging in forests.

The House recently approved two of five exemptions from environmental laws sought by the Pentagon while the Senate approved just one. As OMB Watch previously reported, the Pentagon -- claiming that military readiness has been adversely impacted -- pushed for military exemptions from the Endangered Species Act (ESA); the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA); the Clean Air Act (CAA); the Comprehensive Environmental Restoration, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

May 2003 Update Federal agencies released updated regulatory agendas on Tuesday, May 27, which describe rulemakings under review, anticipated actions, and progress toward completing new standards. These agendas -- which are updated every spring and fall -- provide an important window into the administration's regulatory priorities and objectives, even though they are frequently inaccurate in their predictions. In January, OMB Watch examined the agendas of three agencies -- the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration -- to see what has changed during the Bush administration. Here, we update that data and add new information about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.