A coalition of timber companies has threatened to file suit against the federal government if it doesn’t review the protected status of the northern spotted owl. The owl was classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act over a decade ago, has halted logging on millions of acres of public land, literally shutting down the economies of dozens of small towns in Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho and putting thousands of people out of work.

In a petition filed with Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the American Forest Resource Council accuses the government of failing to comply with the Act’s requirement to review the status of threatened species every five years.

The coalition also argues that new evidence indicates the birds are not in as much trouble at they were thought to be when they earned protection under the law in the early 1990s.

The petition is similar to one the group filed in January over the marbled murrelet, a type of sea bird.

“The information we have about both these species is a lot different from when they were listed,” says Chris West, vice president of the Seattle-based Council.