HELENA, Mont. -- A federal judge in Montana has ordered the U.S. Forest Service and two other federal agencies to reexamine their use of fire retardant in fighting wildfires. The judge ruled the current policies fail to adequately protect endangered plants and wildlife. Oregon Public Broadcasting's David Nogueras has more.

The forest service uses fire retardant to buy time for crews to build fire lines. But the chemicals can also be toxic to plants and animals. One accidental drop in 2002 killed 22,000 fish in the Fall River near La Pine.

Incidents like these prompted Eugene based Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics to bring the suit. Executive Director Andy Stahl says there are, in fact times when use of retardants is appropriate.

Andy Stahl: "But the problem is it's being used where it does no good whatsoever, such as in wind-driven fires in Southern California. Those fires blow right over 8-lane freeways. I mean, a 50-foot retardant line isn't going to buy you anything."

The ruling gives the Forest Service until the end next year to complete the study and come up with new rules governing their use.

Copyright 2010 OPB

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