Trump-era rule change allowing the logging of old-growth forests violates laws, judge says

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has found that a Trump-era rule change that allowed for the logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest violates several laws. U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Hallman on Thursday found that the U.S. Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act and the Endangered Species Act when it amended a protection that had been in place since 1994. The findings came in response to a lawsuit filed by environmental groups over the change. Hallman recommended that the U.S. Forest Service should be required to prepare a full environmental impact statement related to the change. The Forest Service didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.