Latest news with #roadlessrule
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Trump administration plans to yank "roadless rule" that impedes logging on 59 million acres of national forests
The Trump administration plans to rescind a nearly quarter-century-old rule that blocked logging on national forest lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday. The "roadless rule" adopted in the last days of Bill Clinton's presidency in 2001 long has chafed Republican lawmakers, especially in the West where national forests sprawl across vast, mountainous terrain and the logging industry has waned. The rule impeded road construction and "responsible timber production" that would have helped reduce the risk of major wildfires, Rollins said at the annual meeting of the Western Governors Association. "This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests," Rollins said. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, right, with Forest Service firefighters behind her, talks to media during the Western Governors Association meeting in Santa Fe, N.M., on June 23, 2025. Eddie Moore / The Albuquerque Journal via AP Scientists say worsening wildfires are driven by a combination of climate change that warms and dries out forests, less logging and decades of fire suppression that has enabled fuels to build up. The roadless rule has affected 30% of national forest lands nationwide, or about 59 million acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency over the Forest Service. State roadless-area rules in Idaho and Colorado supersede the boundaries of the 2001 roadless rule, according to the USDA, meaning not all national forest land would be affected by a rescission. Rollins' announcement Monday was a first step in a process to rescind the roadless rule to be followed by a formal notice in coming weeks, the Agriculture Department said in a statement. The announcement comes amid recent talk of selling off federal lands in part to improve housing affordability, an idea criticized by Democrats as a public land grab. Selling public lands drew a mixed reception from governors at the same meeting. They expressed enthusiasm for economic development and worries about curtailing public access to shared lands. Speaking to a panel of governors and hotel-ballroom audience, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum described a new "era of abundance" on public lands under President Trump's administration in the development of natural resources, including energy and critical minerals needed for domestic production of cellphones, computers and vehicles. Immediate opposition appears Outside the hotel entrance in downtown Santa Fe, several hundred protesters filled the street to denounce efforts that might privatize federal public lands, chanting "not for sale" and carrying signs that read, "This land belongs to you and me" and "keep our public land free for future generations." Hundreds of people protest efforts to privatize federal public land in Santa Fe, N.M., outside a meeting of governors from western states and top Trump-administration officials as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to rescind a decades-old rule that blocked logging on national forest lands on June 23, 2025. Morgan Lee / AP On social media, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Trump ally, called the reversal on roadless areas "another example of President Trump fulfilling his campaign promise to open up resources for responsible development." The roadless area change meanwhile marks a sharp turnaround from the Biden administration, which far from opening up more areas to timber harvesting sought to do more to restrict logging and protect old-growth forests. Environmental groups, who want to keep restrictions on logging and road-building for places such as Alaska's Tongass National Forest, criticized the possibility of rolling back the protections. "Any attempt to revoke it is an attack on the air and water we breathe and drink, abundant recreational opportunities which millions of people enjoy each year, havens for wildlife and critical buffers for communities threatened by increasingly severe wildfire seasons," Josh Hicks, conservation campaigns director at The Wilderness Society, said in a statement on the USDA's plans. Contrary to what Rollins said about reducing wildfire risk, logging exacerbates climate change and makes wildfires more intense, said Center for Western Priorities political director Rachael Hamby. "This is nothing more than a massive giveaway to timber companies at the expense of every American and the forests that belong to all of us," Hamby said in a statement. In Alaska, home of the country's largest national forest, the Tongass, the roadless rule has long been a focus of litigation, with state political leaders supporting an exemption to the rule that they argue impedes economic opportunities. During the latter part of Mr. Trump's first term, the federal government lifted restrictions on logging and road-building in the Tongass, something the Biden administration later reversed. Mr. Trump in January called for reverting to the policy from his first term as part of an Alaska-specific executive order aimed at boosting oil and gas development, mining and logging in the state. The Tongass is a temperate rainforest of glaciers and rugged coastal islands. It provides habitat to wildlife such as bears, wolves, salmon and bald eagles.
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump rescinds protections on 59m acres of national forest to allow logging
The Trump administration will rescind protections that prevent logging on nearly a third of national forest lands, including the largest old growth forest in the country, the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, announced on Monday. The announcement will be followed by a formal notice rescinding the 'roadless rule', a nickname for the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, in coming weeks, the Associated Press reports. The rule prohibits road building and logging on all national forest land without roads, accounting for about 59m acres (24m hectares) of US national forest land. Rollins shared the news at a gathering of the Western Governors' Association in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where hundreds had gathered outside to protest against congressional efforts to sell off large swaths of public lands. There, the interior secretary, Doug Burgum, spoke of a new 'era of abundance' on public lands, describing Donald Trump's efforts to extract more natural resources for domestic manufacturing. 'President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to commonsense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule,' said Rollins. '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.' Republican lawmakers from western states celebrated the announcement while environmental groups expressed dismay. On social media, the Republican representative for Alaska, Nick Begich, said, 'Alaska's forests are one of our state's greatest natural assets and the 'Roadless Rule' has long stifled responsible forest management, blocked access to critical resources, and halted economic opportunity.' The Republican congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming also posted on social media, writing: 'This outdated policy has long hindered effective forest management.' Meanwhile, the Sierra Club's forest campaign manager, Alex Craven, said in a statement: 'Once again, the Trump administration is ignoring the voices of millions of Americans to pursue a corporate giveaway for his billionaire buddies. Stripping our national forests of roadless rule protections will put close to 60m acres of wildlands across the country on the chopping block. That means polluting our clean air and drinking water sources to pad the bottom lines of timber and mining companies – all while pursuing the same kind of mismanagement that increases wildfire severity.' In its announcement, the US Department of Agriculture cited concerns about increasing wildfire risk as reasoning for constructing roads through national forest land: 'Nearly 60% of forest service land in Utah is restricted from road development and is unable to be properly managed for fire risk. In Montana, it is 58%, and in Alaska's Tongass national forest, the largest in the country, 92% is impacted.' Journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of the book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, questioned that logic on social media, writing: the 'vast majority of fires occur near roads. They're worsening risk.' The decision also aligns with Trump's executive order 'Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation', the USDA said, to 'get rid of overcomplicated, burdensome barriers that hamper American business and innovation.' During the latter part of Trump's first term, the federal government lifted restrictions on logging and road-building in the Tongass, something the Biden administration later reversed. Associated Press contributed reporting
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration repeals Clinton-era rule in effort to reduce wildfires
SANTA FE, N.M. - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans on Monday to reverse a Clinton-era policy in an effort to reduce wildfires caused by a lack of forest management. The policy change was announced at the annual Western Governors Association meeting in New Mexico where Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was joined by six other state executives who had mixed reactions to the news. Western states will be disproportionately impacted by the repeal of the so-called 'roadless rule' established in 2001 by President Bill Clinton to block road building, mining and logging on 58 million acres of undeveloped national forest lands. Around 30% of the National Forest System falls under the rule, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But this number jumps to 50% in Utah, 45% in Idaho and 40% in Montana, Rollins said. 'This misguided rule prohibits the Forest Service from thinning and cutting trees to prevent wildfires and when fires start, the rule limits our firefighters access to quickly put them out,' Rollins said. Since implementation of the rule began, the area burned by wildfires each year has more than doubled from around 3 million acres to over 6 million acres, Rollins said. Her agency is currently monitoring 19 large fires across western states, Rollins said, including the Forsyth Fire in Pine Valley, Utah, which Cox visited on Sunday after it destroyed 13 homes. Rollins attributed this increase to the 'roadless rule' while Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said the increase in wildfires has been caused by warming weather. 'Climate change is the biggest problem in fueling these damaging fires,' Grisham said to some applause. 'We can do climate mitigation and force health resilience and recovery.' Cox called the announcement 'really big news' for the state of Utah, which, unlike Colorado and Idaho, is not exempt from the restriction. For years, Utah has tried to do more to manage its national forests, including entering into a 'shared stewardship' agreement with the Trump administration, which was renewed under President Joe Biden, to treat thousands of acres of national forest lands. 'Utah has been really such a great model for this,' Rollins said. The work of periodically clearing underbrush and thinning trees was controversial where Utah tried it, Cox said, but doing so has resulted in saving 'an entire subdivision' of 50 homes in at least one instance of a wildfire in Utah. Managing forests actually results in cleaner watersheds and more wildlife, according to Cox, who called for additional federal funding for shared stewardship projects to clean out national forest lands. 'A good forest is like a garden,' Cox said. 'You actually have to tend it and take care of it, and if we do this the right way we can prevent fires and improve production.'
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration repeals Clinton-era rule in effort to reduce wildfires
SANTA FE, N.M. - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans on Monday to reverse a Clinton-era policy in an effort to reduce wildfires caused by a lack of forest management. The policy change was announced at the annual Western Governors Association meeting in New Mexico where Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was joined by six other state executives who had mixed reactions to the news. Western states will be disproportionately impacted by the repeal of the so-called 'roadless rule' established in 2001 by President Bill Clinton to block road building, mining and logging on 58 million acres of undeveloped national forest lands. Around 30% of the National Forest System falls under the rule, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But this number jumps to 50% in Utah, 45% in Idaho and 40% in Montana, Rollins said. 'This misguided rule prohibits the Forest Service from thinning and cutting trees to prevent wildfires and when fires start, the rule limits our firefighters access to quickly put them out,' Rollins said. Since implementation of the rule began, the area burned by wildfires each year has more than doubled from around 3 million acres to over 6 million acres, Rollins said. Her agency is currently monitoring 19 large fires across western states, Rollins said, including the Forsyth Fire in Pine Valley, Utah, which Cox visited on Sunday after it destroyed 13 homes. Rollins attributed this increase to the 'roadless rule' while Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said the increase in wildfires has been caused by warming weather. 'Climate change is the biggest problem in fueling these damaging fires,' Grisham said to some applause. 'We can do climate mitigation and force health resilience and recovery.' Cox called the announcement 'really big news' for the state of Utah, which, unlike Colorado and Idaho, is not exempt from the restriction. For years, Utah has tried to do more to manage its national forests, including entering into a 'shared stewardship' agreement with the Trump administration, which was renewed under President Joe Biden, to treat thousands of acres of national forest lands. 'Utah has been really such a great model for this,' Rollins said. The work of periodically clearing underbrush and thinning trees was controversial where Utah tried it, Cox said, but doing so has resulted in saving 'an entire subdivision' of 50 homes in at least one instance of a wildfire in Utah. Managing forests actually results in cleaner watersheds and more wildlife, according to Cox, who called for additional federal funding for shared stewardship projects to clean out national forest lands. 'A good forest is like a garden,' Cox said. 'You actually have to tend it and take care of it, and if we do this the right way we can prevent fires and improve production.'
The Independent
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump administration plans to rescind rule blocking logging on national forest lands
The Trump administration plans to rescind a nearly quarter-century-old rule that blocked logging on national forest lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday. The so-called roadless rule adopted in the last days of Bill Clinton 's presidency in 2001 long has chafed Republican lawmakers, especially in the West where national forests sprawl across vast, mountainous terrain and the logging industry has waned. The roadless rule impeded road construction and 'responsible timber production' that would have helped reduce the risk of major wildfires, Rollins said at the annual meeting of the Western Governors Association. 'This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests," Rollins said. The rule affected 30% of national forest lands nationwide, or about 59 million acres (24 million hectares), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency over the Forest Service. State roadless-area rules in Idaho and Colorado supersede the boundaries of the 2001 roadless rule, according to the USDA, meaning not all national forest land would be affected by a recission. The announcement came amid talk of selling off federal lands, an idea that received a mixed reception from governors at the same meeting. In Alaska, home to the country's largest national forest, the Tongass, the roadless rule has long been a focus of litigation, with state political leaders supporting an exemption to the rule that they argue impedes economic opportunities. During the latter part of President Donald Trump's first term, the federal government lifted restrictions on logging and road-building in the Tongass, something the Biden administration later reversed. Trump in January called for reverting to the policy from his first term as part of an Alaska-specific executive order aimed at boosting oil and gas development, mining and logging in the state. The Tongass is a temperate rainforest of glaciers and rugged coastal islands. It provides habitat to wildlife such as bears, wolves, salmon and bald eagles. Environmental groups, who want to keep restrictions on logging and road-building in place for the Tongass, criticized the possibility of rolling back the protections. 'Any attempt to revoke it is an attack on the air and water we breathe and drink, abundant recreational opportunities which millions of people enjoy each year, havens for wildlife and critical buffers for communities threatened by increasingly severe wildfire seasons,' Josh Hicks, conservation campaigns director at The Wilderness Society, said in a statement of USDA's plans. ___ Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska. Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, contributed to this report.
