SACRAMENTO -- Less than two months after slapping a lawsuit on the EPA, California Attorney General Jerry Brown has taken action against another federal government department.

Brown announced last week that he had taken action against the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for a plan allowing road construction and oil drilling in four of California's national forests. The four comprise 3.5 million acres of federally managed public land.

The lawsuit, filed jointly with California Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman, accuses the USFS of violating the federal National Forest Management Act and National Environment Policy Act by not coordinating with state policy. The Golden State has declared a moratorium on road-building in "pristine" areas of the forests.

Brown recently sued the federal EPA after a long-running battle with the agency over California's desire to regulate automobile emissions, LNL reported. He also recently sued the EPA for the state's right to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases from airlines.

Brown and Chrisman argue that the USFS plan calls for road construction on 500,000 acres of currently roadless forest, contravening the moratorium. It also allows for oil drilling on more than 52,000 acres in and around the Los Padres National Forest, home to the endangered Californian Condor.