Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on Monday told a group of outdoor recreation executives that he was at least temporarily shelving the state's roadless forest petition because of legal uncertainties regarding the issue.Since last year, the governor's office has been crafting a petition that would establish new management guidelines for Utah's nearly 4 million acres of inventoried roadless forest. The petition process was created by the Bush administration in 2005 to replace the Clinton-era roadless rule, which called for the protection of the nation's 50 million acres of roadless forest.Huntsman's petition was controversial, because, unlike California or New Mexico - which requested that all of their roadless areas remain protected - his petition called for the abolition of the roadless designations in Utah and more input into forest management decisions by the state.However, with a recent federal court ruling in California that rejected the Bush administration rule for failing to follow national environmental law - restoring the Clinton rule in the process - the Utah governor has opted to sit the battle out. For now, the Clinton rule remains in effect."If a [petition] submission is made, we look forward to engaging all appropriate stakeholders, including the outdoor industry," Huntsman said in a statement.Huntsman's original petition process included little public input. Outdoor executives, in Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer's annual winter convention, lauded his change of heart."This will be a fundamental issue for many industry companies as they make decisions about whether to relocate to the state of Utah, or whether to eventually leave Utah for a place that more closely shares their commitment to preserving the nation's remaining wild places," said Peter Metcalf, CEO of Salt Lake City-based Black Diamond.Lynn Stevens, director of the governor's Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, said Huntsman's policy shift began when Utah officials could not get a commitment from the Department of Agriculture about how the Utah petition would be received."There's a dilemma regarding the legality of the Clinton rule and the Bush petition process," Stevens said. "The governor is inclined to wait and see how it sorts out." A good idea, according to a local forest watchdog group."Given the legal mess that the roadless rule has been put through, the best thing that can happen is for the governor to set it aside," said Kevin Mueller, executive director of the Utah Environmental Congress."In this situation, it's a victory for wildlife when nothing happens."
