Overview
- The U.S. Forest Service filed a proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement on Tuesday to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and opened a public comment period through Sept. 21.
- USDA officials say the change returns authority to local forest managers so they can carry out more fuel-reduction work and improve firefighter access without the national roadless designation forcing a one-size-fits-all limit.
- The proposal would remove federal roadless protections that cover roughly 59 million acres in total but would affect about 44–45 million acres once Colorado’s and Idaho’s state rules are excluded.
- Conservation groups, scientists and many state officials say roads raise human-caused ignition risk, threaten watersheds, wildlife and carbon stores, and have vowed to mount legal challenges if the rule is finalized.
- If finalized, the rollback could shift how millions of acres are managed, increase pressure for road-building and timber projects on remote forestlands, and lead to protracted litigation and political battles.