You've got to wonder if certain agencies need to be renamed. Is the Forest Service really the Forest Service if it helps chop down a forest?

The current USDA Forest Service is run by former timber lobbyist Mark Rey. Rey plans to change a simple, but critical, rule that would allow roads to be paved through Forest Service land. He plans to do it before President-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20th. That would allow Plum Creek Timber Co. to take what are now rutted logging roads in Montana and transform them into tar roads fit for SUVs headed to rural retreats.

Montana officials have long opposed the move, and they have been attempting to limit development to towns and their surrounding areas. This rule change would render state and local policies moot, while companies like Plum Creek Timber move ahead with development plans. That development would also force municipalities to build sewer and electric systems that support the homes, thus encouraging further development.

President-elect Obama has repeatedly indicated his opposition to this rule change, but Mark Rey may not have heard given all of the noise of trees being cut down. Whatever the case, the rule will likely have a significant impact on Montana before the next administration can undo the rule change.

[via Washington Post]