SPOTTED OWL 1, LOGGERS 0

The Endangered Species Act is safe-- for now. In one of the most significant environmental rulings in decades, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the 1973 law prohibits not only direct harm to endangered species, but also to their natural surroundings. The timber industry and Oregon landowners, irked for years by costly protections the law afforded dwindling species including the infamous Spotted Owl, had argued successfully before a federal appeals court last year that the government's interpretation was too broad. (That decision said only direct threats, such as hunting or trapping, were covered.) Today's ruling, however,only accelerated pro-landowner sentiment in Congress, where the legislation itself may be endangered. "The Supreme Court has just given those of us in Congress more incentive to change the act," declared Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.).