In reporting Gov. Bill Owens's request for federal protection of more than 4 million roadless acres of U.S. Forest Service land in Colorado, several Colorado media outlets included Owens's statement that "[f]ew things are more important to Coloradans than the responsible stewardship of our National Forests," without noting that Owens previously opposed implementation of the Clinton administration's roadless initiative, which would have ensured essentially the same protections.

As The Denver Post reported on November 14 (an online version was published November 13), “Gov. Bill Owens on Monday asked the federal government to protect most of the state's 4.4 million acres of roadless areas from new development and permanent roads, ending a year-long review of U.S. forest lands in Colorado.” The Post further noted:

The request -- technically a petition that still must be approved by the U.S. Forest Service -- is part of a state-by-state process established by the Bush administration to end the 30-year debate over roadless protections.

But the rule, which overturned a previous blanket set of nationwide protections written in the waning days of Bill Clinton's presidency, remains in limbo in the federal courts amid numerous legal challenges.

In addition to the Post, articles in the Rocky Mountain News and the Montrose Daily Press, and Associated Press articles in The Gazette of Colorado Springs and the Boulder Daily Camera, reported Owens's statement that "[f]ew things are more important to Coloradans than the responsible stewardship of our National Forests."

According to the Daily Press article, Owens's request “reinstated a policy authored in the closing days of the Clinton Administration.” However, none of the newspapers reporting on Owens's request noted his previous opposition to the Clinton administration's roadless initiative.

As the Associated Press reported in a September 21 article, the roadless rules established in the final days of the Clinton administration would have “prohibit[ed] logging, mining and other development on 58.5 million acres in 38 states and Puerto Rico.” This would have included Colorado's more than 4 million roadless acres. The same article further noted that President Bush declared a moratorium on their implementation and “replaced [them] in May 2005 with a process that required governors to petition the federal government to protect national forests in their states.”

As the Post reported on April 5, 2001, Owens sought to void Clinton's roadless initiative, claiming in a legal challenge that if the initiative were implemented, Colorado faced 'irreparable harm.'" According to the Post:

Colorado has joined Idaho and Alaska in trying to overturn President Clinton's roadless initiative, which would bar most logging, mining and energy exploration on 4.3 million acres of Colorado national forest land.

In a March 28 legal filing supporting Idaho's request to delay the rules' May 12 implementation date, Owens said Colorado faced 'irreparable harm' because the roadless initiative could limit development of school endowment lands and subject state property to increased risk of wildfires.

While Owens also argued at the time that “the Forest Service failed to follow established guidelines” and thereby “denied Colorado meaningful input during the process," the Post pointed out that before implementation of Clinton's roadless rules, “the Forest Service held 600 public meetings, 27 in Colorado, and fielded 1.6 million comments, the most ever submitted on a rulemaking."

A December 7, 2005, editorial from Post Outdoors Editor Charlie Meyers criticized Owens's opposition to the Clinton rules, noting that “Owens muzzled the Division of Wildlife while opposing roadless proposals during a U.S. Department of Agriculture review of the White River National Forest. More recently, the governor wrote Mark Rey, undersecretary of agriculture, to the effect that he considered the Clinton directive to be overreaching.”

As Colorado Media Matters noted, Owens also was critical of a September 19 ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Laporte that reinstated Clinton's “roadless rule.” A September 21 article in The Gazette quoted Owens as saying the rule was “established hastily without public input during the waning days of the Clinton administration.”

In fact, while the rule was finalized in the “waning days” of the Clinton administration, the AP reported September 21 that the rule, which restricted road construction, drilling, and logging on almost 60 million acres of roadless national forests, “was crafted with more than 1 million public comments and 600 public meetings over three years.”

From the November 13 article by Associated Press writer Judith Kohler, published in the November 13 edition of The Gazette and November 14 edition of the Daily Camera:

Gov. Bill Owens asked the federal government Monday to protect some 4 million acres of roadless national forest from development, mirroring recommendations from a statewide task force even as a court fight looms over managing the nation's forests.

The task force opposed building roads on most of the 4.1 million acres declared off-limits to development by the Clinton administration. Dan Hopkins, Owens' spokesman, said the Republican governor didn't make any changes to the panel's report.

“Few things are more important to Coloradans than the responsible stewardship of our National Forests,” Owens wrote in his petition. “The scenic landscapes, abundant wildlife and mountain vistas make Colorado such a wonderful place to live and raise a family.”

From the November 14 Rocky Mountain News article by Deborah Frazier, “Owens seeks protection for roadless landscapes”:

Gov. Bill Owens on Monday asked for federal protection of more than 4.1 million roadless acres in Colorado, following a state task force's advice.

The bipartisan task force spent nearly two years holding public meetings around the state and reviewing thousands of written comments from citizens.

More than 90 percent of the public comments favored full roadless protection for the untraveled landscapes, and that's what the task force recommended to Owens.

“The scenic landscapes, abundant wildlife and mountain vistas make Colorado such a wonderful place to live and raise a family,” Owens said. “I applaud the task force for their commitment to this important process.”

[...]

“Few things are more important to Coloradans than the responsible stewardship of our national forests,” Owens wrote to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns.

From the November 13 Denver Post article by Steve Lipsher and Jeremy P. Meyer, “Owens backs roadless areas”:

Gov. Bill Owens on Monday asked the federal government to protect most of the state's 4.4 million acres of roadless areas from new development and permanent roads, ending a year-long review of U.S. forest lands in Colorado.

In what is expected to be one of his last major acts as governor, Owens accepted the full recommendation of a 13-member bipartisan task force that held hearings around the state, considered more than 40,000 public comments and determined that the bulk of the natural lands should be preserved.

“Few things are more important to Coloradans than the responsible stewardship of our National Forests. The scenic landscapes, abundant wildlife and mountain vistas make Colorado such a wonderful place to live ... ,” Owens wrote in his letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johans.

The request - technically a petition that still must be approved by the U.S. Forest Service - is part of a state-by-state process established by the Bush administration to end the 30-year debate over roadless protections.

But the rule, which overturned a previous blanket set of nationwide protections written in the waning days of Bill Clinton's presidency, remains in limbo in the federal courts amid numerous legal challenges.

Owens didn't alter any of the task force recommendations, despite noting that conflicting demands for natural resources typically foster intense debate.

From the November 14 Montrose Daily Press article by Matt Hildner, “Governor submits roadless petition”:

Gov. Bill Owens submitted Colorado's petition for how roadless areas in the state's national forests should be managed, although the fate of the petition will likely sit with the courts.

Owens' petition stuck closely to the recommendations submitted a month ago by a task force that travelled the state last year collecting public comments. The recommendations protect much of the state's 4.1 million acres of roadless areas, while allowing temporary road construction to manage insect-riddled trees, access existing oil and gas leases, and extract coal in the North Fork Valley near Paonia.

“Few things are more important to Coloradans than the responsible stewardship of our National Forests,” Owens wrote in his petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service.

Colorado's petition was submitted under a 2005 rule from the Bush administration that made the states the driving force in determining how the areas should be managed. A California District Court overturned that rule in September, arguing that it gave short shrift to existing law for endangered species and the environment.

The decision reinstated a policy authored in the closing days of the Clinton Administration.