Judge orders federal logging project halted in Shawnee National Forest
Summary
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to stop a logging project in Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest. The judge ruled that the project’s 2024 approval violated the Endangered Species Act because the agency approved it before receiving a final report about the Indiana bat, a protected species living in the area.Key Facts
- The logging project covers about 70 acres in Shawnee National Forest, southern Illinois.
- The project was approved in October 2024 under the Biden administration.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s final “biological opinion” about the project came six weeks after approval.
- This opinion showed that the area is home to the endangered Indiana bat.
- The Indiana bat population has dropped by half since the 1960s and is harmed by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease.
- Environmental groups sued because the Forest Service’s internal August 2024 report said the bats were in the area and that the project would likely harm them.
- The Forest Service said it didn’t break the law since it delayed starting the project until early 2025, after the final opinion was released with suggested safety measures.
- Judge Nancy Rosenstengel rejected the Forest Service’s defense, ordering the project stopped until proper review is done.
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