On June 23, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the Trump administration was revoking the the federal Roadless Rule, an environmental law.
This decision puts 58 million acres of land protected and managed by the United States Forest Service into question.
Rollins overstated the benefits of removing the rule.
“Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common-sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive Roadless Rule,” Rollins said in a June 23 press release. “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.”
Montana Free Press
In reality, “rescinding” the order hardly does anything. Many of the forested areas protected by the rule are too rugged to have any value for loggers. Furthermore, Idaho and Colorado enjoy state-specific roadless rules. The Roadless Rule is also a factor in other forms of environmental protections, such as “endangered species listings, hunting and fishing seasons, and motorized recreation access.” Existing forest stocks are already sufficient to meet Trump’s target to increase timber production by 25%.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz lied, stating that the Roadless Rule left the acres protected by it exposed to wildfires. In reality, the rule allows for road-building to reduce “the likelihood of uncharacteristic wildfire.”
Though the rule is nominally rescinded, doing so will inevitably lead to legal complications for the Trump administration. The rule overlaps with the Endangered Species Act, which the White House cannot unilaterally remove. Public lands expert Martin Nie of the University of Montana has also warned that unilaterally rescinding the Roadless Rule conflicts with the Administrative Procedure Act.
