The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced it wants to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, saying it hampers wildfire management. Environmental groups are calling the move "an alarming threat."
The rule was intended to protect the nation's wild lands. But the USDA contends the restrictions hamper effective land management, including wildfire prevention efforts. The agency said it was taking steps to rescind the policy, which covers 45 million acres or about one-quarter of the National Forest System.
The government argues that outdated restrictions have prevented proper management.
"Today, we filed a proposal to restore authority to local forest managers who know the land best, removing the barriers that have kept them from doing the work the land demands," said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in the USDA's news release. "It's time to turn the page on the failed roadless rule and return our forests to health and productivity."
[Suggested image (source: U.S. Forest Service)]
Timothy Preso, managing attorney with the biodiversity program at Earthjustice, says the move would actually increase fire risk, according to the government's own data.
"Fires are four times more likely to start near a road than in a roadless area. So, building roads into these areas actually increases the risk that you're gonna get a fire started there," Preso said.
The USDA says the move is in line with the Trump administration's new policies and priorities, which include these executive orders:
- Executive Order 14192: Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation, to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens
- Executive Order 14225: Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production
- Executive Order 14154: Unleashing American Energy
The Trump administration also says it wants to open public lands for other uses like logging.
Preso views this as part of the administration's "agenda," which he says prioritizes profit over preservation. These are some of the most "pristine" parts of our country, and to destroy it for timber and to build roads is a "very expensive proposition to punch roads into the backcountry," he said.
These lands not only provide us with open spaces, but they are also key to providing clean air and water for all of us, Preso said.
Public comment on the proposal can be submitted at regulations.gov beginning Thursday through Sept. 21.
"This is a chance for everybody who cares about our public lands to speak up and say 'keep these protections, don't roll them back,'" Preso said.
Almost all roadless areas are in 10 Western states, including Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, according to the USDA.
Colorado and Idaho have their own state-based regulations.
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