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Zinke also wrote in his op-ed that these efforts have been hampered by \"frivolous litigation from radical environmentalists.\" Environmental and conservation groups have sued to block actions they called \"clearcutting\" in the past, arguing that removing brush from the forest floor could remove critical habitat for animals. In one legal decision a judge ruled that the U.S. Forest Service had to consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make sure that efforts to clear kindling from forests was not disrupting the habitat for any endangered species.

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