roadless rule

When the rule was first enacted in 2001, the government held hundreds of public hearings that took nearly two years.

The Trump administration moved forward with repealing the Roadless Rule last week, kicking off a final public comment period ending Sept. 21.

Environmental groups say it's a threat to National Forest lands.

The administration also wants to dramatically increase logging on national forests.

Eight prospective U.S. House members pitched their candidacies to a Casper audience during a nearly two-hour-long forum Thursday night.

The Roadless Rule has been in place for decades. Lawmakers are divided.

The Trump administration is trying to repeal the Roadless Rule, which prohibits new road construction in large swaths of national forests. They say this will aid fire response, but new research is calling that into question.

The rule banning new roads in some forests protects prime bear habitat and was part of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s justification for its failed attempt to delist grizzlies in 2017.

The Trump administration wants to open up millions of acres of national forest lands to new roads and development, including 3.2 million in Wyoming. Public comment on the proposal is open, but only for about a third of the usual amount of time.

The Supreme Court has turned away an appeal challenging a federal rule that bars development on 50 million acres of roadless areas in national forests.…