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Gov. Bill Richardson is praising a decision by a federal judge in California to reinstate the "Roadless Rule," a Clinton-era ban on road construction in nearly a third of national forests.

"This is a monumental victory for everyone who enjoys our wild forests," Richardson said Wednesday. "Our roadless forests areas are cherished by hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. Roadless areas support significant and complex wildlife communities, they create valuable recreation opportunities, and roadless areas help support rural economies."

But Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of Albuquerque calls the decision by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte a step backward for those seeking to empower states and local governments in roadless area management.

"For over 40 years, our courts have thrown out national roadless rules like the Clinton-era rule, which was overturned by numerous courts," Domenici said. "Now that we finally have a state-based system, I'd hate to see it derailed."

He added that the previous, one-size-fits-all national approach didn't meet the needs of many states, including New Mexico.

The rule instituted by President Clinton in 2001 prohibits logging, mining and other development on 58.5 million acres in 38 states, including New Mexico. The Bush administration replaced it in May 2005 with a process that required governors to petition the federal government to protect national forests in their states.

On Wednesday, Laporte sided with 20 environmental groups and four states - California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington - that sued the U.S. Forest Service over the changes.

Laporte ruled that the Bush administration failed to conduct necessary environmental studies before making changes that allowed states to decide how to manage individual national forests.

"This is fantastic news for millions of Americans who have consistently told the Forest Service that they want these last wild areas of public land protected," said Kristen Boyles, an attorney for Earthjustice, which represented a coalition of 20 environmental groups.

Of the 9.3 million acres of national forest in New Mexico, nearly 1.6 million acres are roadless. Those areas include portions of Carson, Santa Fe, Cibola, Coronado and Lincoln national forests.

Laporte's ruling does not affect about 9.3 million acres of Alaska's Tongass National Forest, which is covered by a separate rule on road construction and other development.

The Bush administration was reviewing the ruling to decide on an appeal, said Dave Tenny, deputy undersecretary for the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service.

Representatives of the timber industry denounced the decision, saying it would leave roadless areas vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires because firefighters could not access blazes in remote forests.

Chris West, vice president of the Portland-based American Forest Industry Council, said states should be allowed to decide how best to manage and protect their forests. West said, "This lawsuit and this decision is all about politics."

Despite the judge's ruling, logging would likely continue in two regions of Oregon - Mike's Gulch and Blackberry on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest - where timber sales were approved after the rule was changed, said Mike Carrier, natural resources adviser to Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens criticized the ruling, saying a task force that takes citizens' input is the right way to manage the state's wilderness.

"It would be very unfortunate if we were to revert back to a rule established hastily without public input during the waning days of the Clinton administration," Owens said. "We simply should not have a federal magistrate in San Francisco unilaterally dictating natural resource policy for the entire country."