"A U.S. District Court judge in Alaska ruled against the Trump administration late Wednesday, sidelining its plans to open logging in part of the state’s Tongass National Forest.

The decision delays U.S. Forest Service plans to open logging in more than 1.8 million acres over the next 15 years, a project that would have also green-lit the construction of 164 miles of road through the forest.

Judge Sharon Gleason wrote that the agency failed to fully consider the environmental impacts of the project as required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), agreeing with the environmental groups that sued the Forest Service that its analysis had “serious shortcomings.”"

Rebecca Beitsch reports for The Hill March 12, 2020. [2]