The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana issued a ruling May 26th in a case brought by an environmental litigant against the US Forest Service seeking to enjoin nationwide agency use of aerial forest firefighting retardants. The Court ruled that the Forest Service may continue using aerial fire retardants while pursuing a Clean Water Act permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
AOL coalition partner, Federal Forest Resource Coalition (FFRC) was part of a broad coalition of communities and landholders affected by wildfires, who filed an amicus brief and participated in oral arguments supporting USFS’ continued use of aerial fire retardants in forest and rangeland firefighting.
The decision is a victory for rural communities and forest stakeholders who manage and produce sustainable forests. The environmentalist lawsuit to stop firefighting is a reckless ploy to garner public notoriety for their fundraising—at the expense of public forests and rural forest communities.
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