Silas Whitman, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, issued a statement today applauding a federal judge’s ruling ordering the Forest Service to halt megaload transports across scenic Highway 12 in central Idaho until it’s completed a corridor study and consulted with the Nez Perce Tribe. “The Tribe is pleased the Court’s decision recognizes the Tribe’s sovereignty and its rights and interests,” Whitman said. Noting the judge’s statement in his ruling that the tribe is seeing to “preserve its treaty rights along with cultural and intrinsic values that have no price tag,” Whitman said, “This speaks to the truth regarding the heart of the Nez Perce people and our connection to our homeland.”

“The Tribe will not let U.S. Highway 12, both through the national forest and Wild and Scenic River corridor and the Nez Perce Reservation, be transformed into an industrial corridor,” Whitman said. You can read his full statement here.