Opposes rescissionA0 noneSubstance 5/24Posted August 31, 2026 On Regulations.gov
Scored directly — The comment's whole text was scored on its own.
Scorecard
Each dimension is scored 0–3; the eight sum to the substance score out of 24.
Specific placeNames a specific location — from a region down to an exact creek, trail, road, or map reference.
Local knowledgeDraws on a first-hand connection to the place — visits, sustained activity, occupation, or a professional role.
EA analysisEngages the agency's environmental analysis directly.
Analytical gapIdentifies something the analysis fails to address.
EvidenceBacks claims with specific facts, data, or research.
RequestMakes a specific, actionable request of the agency.
AlternativeProposes a different course of action.
LegalCites statutes, regulations, or legal obligations.
How hard it is to set aside
A0 none: Counted, not answered.
Still open to the agency
Alternative already eliminatedThe agency says it considered and eliminated the alternative the comment proposes, with a reason. Cannot be defeated from the comment text alone.
Already addressedThe agency says its analysis already covers the point. Defeated when the comment cites the law itself: there is no analysis to cite against a statutory claim.
Deferred to a later decisionThe agency says the point belongs to a later, site-specific decision. Cannot be defeated from the comment text alone.
Misreads the proposalThe agency says the comment misunderstands what is proposed. Defeated when the comment engages the proposal or a named place directly.
Not requiredThe agency says the analysis the comment asks for is not required. Cannot be defeated from the comment text alone.
Preference notedThe agency notes the comment as a statement of preference and takes no action on it. Cannot be defeated from the comment text alone.
No cause and effect shownThe agency says the comment asserts a harm without showing how the action causes it. Defeated when the comment shows the mechanism.
Outside the scopeThe agency says the comment asks about a different action. Defeated when the comment is specific and tied to this proposal.
Certified not substantiveThe agency certifies the comment raises nothing substantive. Defeated when the comment alleges illegality, which is substantive by the definition the certification runs on.
Dear Chief Schultz,
For someone who plans trips around what public land hasn't been developed, the 2001 Rule is crucial to where I find it still worth going.
The first time I visited the Coyote area, I found peace and solitude among gently flowing brooks and wind-sculpted trees, rare plants that have vanished from many local areas. I would like to see it stay that way.
For twenty-five years the Rule has preserved the conditions that make connections of this kind available to the public; rescission would begin their systematic erosion.
Regarding the Coyote North in the Inyo National Forest, California:
"Road networks are a common disturbance on the landscapes that cause habitat fragmentation and create edges with high resource availability that can act as important channels for the spread of invasive alien plants in various habitats, including nature reserves. Roads serve as dispersal corridors where invasive plant propagules are spread by humans, vehicles and animals using roadways as travel paths. Research indicates that invasive plant richness and density generally decrease with the distance from roads, whereas native species show variable distribution patterns near roads. Proximity to roads often correlates with higher invasion rates, reducing native diversity."
— Diversity and Distributions (Wiley), 2025
"Road networks are a common disturbance on the landscapes that cause habitat fragmentation and create edges with high resource availability that can act as important channels for the spread of invasive alien plants in various habitats, including nature reserves. Roads serve as dispersal corridors where invasive plant propagules are spread by humans, vehicles and animals using roadways as travel paths. Research indicates that invasive plant richness and density generally decrease with the distance from roads, whereas native species show variable distribution patterns near roads. Proximity to roads often correlates with higher invasion rates, reducing native diversity."
— Diversity and Distributions (Wiley), 2025
"Road networks are a common disturbance on the landscapes that cause habitat fragmentation and create edges with high resource availability that can act as important channels for the spread of invasive alien plants in various habitats, including nature reserves. Roads serve as dispersal corridors where invasive plant propagules are spread by humans, vehicles and animals using roadways as travel paths. Research indicates that invasive plant richness and density generally decrease with the distance from roads, whereas native species show variable distribution patterns near roads. Proximity to roads often correlates with higher invasion rates, reducing native diversity."
— Diversity and Distributions (Wiley), 2025
"Road networks are a common disturbance on the landscapes that cause habitat fragmentation and create edges with high resource availability that can act as important channels for the spread of invasive alien plants in various habitats, including nature reserves. Roads serve as dispersal corridors where invasive plant propagules are spread by humans, vehicles and animals using roadways as travel paths. Research indicates that invasive plant richness and density generally decrease with the distance from roads, whereas native species show variable distribution patterns near roads. Proximity to roads often correlates with higher invasion rates, reducing native diversity."
— Diversity and Distributions (Wiley), 2025
“Road networks are a common disturbance on the landscapes that cause habitat fragmentation and create edges with high resource availability that can act as important channels for the spread of invasive alien plants in various habitats, including nature reserves. Roads serve as dispersal corridors where invasive plant propagules are spread by humans, vehicles and animals using roadways as travel paths. Research indicates that invasive plant richness and density generally decrease with the distance from roads, whereas native species show variable distribution patterns near roads. Proximity to roads often correlates with higher invasion rates, reducing native diversity. — Diversity and Distributions (Wiley), 2025 (https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.70002)”
Rescission of the 2001 Rule is not in the public interest; the Department should decline to proceed.
Best regards,