California sued the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday over plans that would open more than 500,000 acres to roads and oil drilling in the state’s largest national forests. The four Southern California forests — Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland — comprise more than 3.5 million acres that stretch from Big Sur to the Mexican border.

They provide habitat for 31 threatened or endangered animal species and 29 such plant species reports the Los Angeles Times.

“California wants to keep these forests without roads, and the Bush administration is just operating with reckless disregard for the public trust,” State Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown said in a telephone interview. “I find it kind of ironic that the federal government won’t let us clean up our cars and they now want cars going through these forests. Once they build these roads, cars come, then they go in and chop down trees. Roads are the first step.”

The suit alleges that the Forest Service violated the federal National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest Management Act by not informing the state of potential environmental impacts of its plan, and by not working with the state’s laws and policies. Since 2006, California has had a moratorium on road construction in pristine areas of its national forests.

Read it here: California sues U.S. Forest Service