DENVER (AP) — The Obama administration plans to reverse a Bush-era policy
and make millions of undeveloped acres of land once again eligible for
federal wilderness protection, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said
Thursday.
Salazar said his agency will repeal 2003's so-called "No More Wilderness"
policy adopted under former Interior Secretary Gale Norton. That policy
stated that new areas could not be recommended for wilderness protection
by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. It opened millions of acres in the
Rocky Mountain region to potential commercial development.
Environmental activists have been calling on the Obama administration to
restore protections for potential wilderness areas. Salazar announced
Thursday that the agency will resume evaluating lands that could be
designated as wilderness areas.
"Americans love the wild places where they hunt, fish, hike, and get away
from it all, and they expect these lands to be protected wisely on their
behalf," Salazar said in a statement.
The BLM has six months to submit a plan for new wilderness evaluations.

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