A federal judge has once again blocked a U.S. Forest Service project in southern Indiana, citing that there was not enough analysis of its environmental effects.

News Release

MONROE COUNTY — A federal judge has once again blocked a U.S. Forest Service project in southern Indiana, ruling the agency failed to adequately study its potential impact on Lake Monroe.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt issued a Thursday, Sept. 18 order halting the Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project until a remedy is determined. The decision marks the third time environmental groups and local officials have successfully challenged the Forest Service’s plan in court.

The project, set to span 10 to 15 years, called for logging on about 4,300 acres and prescribed burns on 13,500 acres in the Hoosier National Forest, with additional work to repair or relocate roads and trails near Lake Monroe. Supporters argued the plan would improve forest health and reduce erosion.

Opponents, including the Indiana Forest Alliance, Hoosier Environmental Council, Monroe County commissioners and Friends of Lake Monroe, contended the project risked worsening sediment runoff into Lake Monroe. The reservoir is Indiana’s largest lake and the sole drinking water source for more than 145,000 people.

The groups have long argued that the Forest Service’s environmental reviews fall short under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. In her ruling, Pratt criticized the agency’s reliance on best management practices to minimize environmental harm, saying it failed to demonstrate that such measures would protect the lake.

The Forest Service first proposed the project in 2020 and has revised its assessments multiple times after previous legal setbacks. Despite those changes, Pratt found the agency’s analysis still inadequate, siding with plaintiffs who have pressed for a full environmental impact statement.