Interested parties have less than a month to speak up about a plan to remove protections for roadless areas.
The Trump administration moved forward with repealing the Roadless Rule last week, kicking off a final public comment period ending Sept. 21. Proponents of the repeal said it will help fight and prevent wildfires by allowing road building and better access.
Alex Blackmer, senior communications manager for the Wild Montana Action Fund, said the assertion about wildfire prevention is false and research shows adding roads in roadless places increases wildfire ignitions.
"It's a cynical example of the administration exploiting what's been a bad wildfire summer in the West," Blackmer contended. "Instead of actually being serious about addressing that in a way that makes our forests healthier and our communities safer, they're using it to push through this piece of policy."
The U.S. Forest Service's own environmental analysis of the Roadless Rule change also found roadbuilding in forests could mean more human-caused wildfires.
The policy was enacted 25 years ago, prohibiting road construction and logging on roadless national forest land. It covers about 3.3 million acres of land in Wyoming and about 45 million acres nationwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture entered its rescission proposal and draft environmental statement into the Federal Register on Aug. 20.
Blackmer stressed it is not the end of the road for the Roadless Rule and the U.S. Forest Service will still have to issue a final decision on the repeal. Blackmer does not expect it until early 2027, after the midterm elections. He added Congress could do something about it by passing the Roadless Area Conservation Act, which would make Roadless Rule protections permanent.
"That is something that Congress could do whenever it wants," Blackmer pointed out. "If it's serious about listening to the people, if all the lawmakers who say they're serious about protecting public lands actually put their money where their mouth is, that's a bill that could be passed."
Blackmer urged people to comment on the rule change. He acknowledged it can feel like shouting into the void but said it is still important to advocate for public lands.
"Every comment, every engagement right now becomes part of the public record. It puts pressure on elected officials. It puts pressure on the administration. It builds the case that this is not what people want," Blackmer emphasized.
Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman is pushing for a separate bill to rescind the Roadless Rule.
Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris emphasized the need for consistency, according to an article by the University of Wyoming College of Law.
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