Lands editorial misses mark

In a Dec. 27 editorial, the Deseret Morning News finds arguments made by groups who oppose new forest planning regulations issued by the Bush administration to be "offensive." The paper's blanket endorsement of those regulations is no less offensive.

No one disputes that we need to streamline the process used to develop management plans for our national forests, but this must be done in a way that retains adequate protections for fish and wildlife and meaningful opportunities for the public to participate. Conservation groups have rightly criticized the new regulations on both fronts, and yet the editorial glosses over these concerns to declare that the plan is "sensible" for the simple reason that it gives managers "more discretion."

Timothy Hawkes

Staff attorney, Utah Water Project

Salt Lake City