Twenty-five years ago today the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule was published in the Federal Register. This administrative rule has helped protect tens of millions of acres. Despite its conservation success, the Rule is under attack (for background information please see my previous post).
The public comment period for the proposed rescinding of the Rule closed on September 19th. Almost 225,000 individual comments were submitted, and an additional 400,000 bulk petition comments were entered into the public record. In the last hours of the comment period, an independent analysis found that over 99% of individual comments were in opposition to the attack on the Rule [1, 2] - emphasizing the overwhelming support for our public wildlands. The fight continues!
The U.S. Forest Service is currently burdened with over 380,000 miles of existing roads and an $8.4 billion backlog of deferred maintenance and reconstruction [3]. From a fiscal standpoint alone, road expansion on our national forests lacks sensibility. Instead we must preserve these remaining acres of intact ecosystems for wildlife, watershed protection, climate change mitigation, and passive wilderness recreation.
Highlighted by the current political climate, it is long overdue that we produce a more durable solution for safeguarding our roadless public lands. Though imperfect, the introduced Roadless Areas Conservation Act will codify the 2001 Roadless Rule. Unfortunately, these companion bills (H.R. 3930 and S.2042) would also include loopholes found in the existing Rule. These undesirable components of the Rule include timber harvest, grazing, and motor vehicle use in some circumstances [4]. Furthermore, road building and commercial logging are allowable by using the misguided “forest health” and wildfire prevention justifications we see running rampant under this administration (and those of the past).
Here’s what needs to happen and what we can do to fight for public roadless lands:
Preserve the 2001 Roadless Rule as it stands. A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is expected by March. This will provide another opportunity for public comments.
Codify the Rule with amendments to remove loopholes. The John Muir Project has created an easy way to reach out to your Senators and member of Congress.
Pass landscape scale conservation legislation that permanently protects Roadless Areas as Wilderness. Bills like the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) creates this reality. This type of legislation should be replicated across the country. To learn more about NREPA and contact your representatives click here. Even if you don’t live in the Rockies, these are your public lands and you should be vocal about your support.
[1] Individual comments can be viewed on the Federal Register website.
[2] The Center for Western Priorities analyzed the 183,000 comments that had been submitted by the morning of September 19, 2025 (more comments came in after this analysis).
[3] For summary stats please see this USFS fact sheet. Note: The Roadless Area Conservation Act has conflicting figures (368,102 miles and $5.98B backlog). No matter how you slice it - the USFS has a road problem.
[4] The John Muir Project outlines these issues here.
Thanks Ryan
Thank you for the update!