The Trump administration has rescinded a 20+ year-old rule that protects millions of acres of national forests on Monday, June 23rd.
The “Roadless Rule,” established in 2001, protected U.S. forests from logging and road building, preserving the environment and land quality by prohibiting construction and timber harvesting from almost 59 million acres.
United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the rescinding of the rule while in New Mexico. In a statement, Rollins said, “Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common-sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule. This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation’s forests. It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.”
The seed for rescinding this rule was planted on January 31st, when Trump signed Executive Order 14192, titled “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation.” Notably, this rule will impact national forests such as the San Bernardino National Forest and the Sequoia National Forest.
The announcement has been unpopular with environmental groups, with the Center for Biological Diversity’s Public Lands Policy Director Randi Spivak saying, “The Trump Administration’s disdain for nature knows no bounds. Stripping protections from these last unfragmented national forests risks our drinking water, plants, animals, and some of America’s most beautiful wild places. It’s a prescription for more wildfires so logging companies can make a buck. The roadless rule is one of our country’s most important conservation achievements, and we’ll fight like hell to keep these protections in place.”
Ellen Montgomery, Director of the Great Outdoors Campaign at Environment America, also chimed in about Trump’s decision. She said, “Anyone who has been deep in the woods knows the magic of being in nature. Wild, untamed areas in our national forests provide uninterrupted habitat for critters,…and filter clean drinking water.” Montgomery continued, “The Roadless Rule is the most effective conservation rule on the books at protecting mature and old-growth forests. As forests get older, they enhance habitat and absorb more carbon from our atmosphere. We must not rescind this rule – this is a terrible idea and will hurt wildlife, nature lovers, and future generations who deserve forests.”
