Opposes rescissionA0 noneSubstance 5/24Posted September 7, 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.
I am writing to oppose the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
I live in southwest Ohio and spend time hiking, camping, backpacking, and exploring public lands throughout the Midwest. Places such as Mogan Ridge in the Hoosier National Forest, an 8,435-acre Inventoried Roadless Area, are part of the natural heritage of our region.
I believe responsible forest management is important. We need to address wildfire risk, forest health, recreation, timber production, hunting, fishing, and emergency access. But responsible management does not require us to make every acre more accessible, developed, or economically productive.
Some places are valuable precisely because they remain undeveloped.
Roadless forests provide wildlife habitat, protect watersheds and clean water, preserve biodiversity, and give Americans something increasingly rare: solitude and the opportunity to experience nature without roads, buildings, and infrastructure surrounding us.
Once a road fragments an intact forest and changes its character, that decision is difficult—if not impossible—to reverse.
A great country should be capable of building for the future while also having the wisdom to preserve places that should never need to be built upon. I want my children and grandchildren to inherit an America with thriving communities and modern infrastructure, but also forests where they can still hear the wind through the trees, encounter wildlife, and experience genuine wilderness.
We should not measure progress by how much of our public land we can develop.
America does not become greater by developing every place we possibly can. Sometimes greatness is having the wisdom to say: this place is worth keeping.
I respectfully ask the Forest Service to retain the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and maintain a national baseline of protection for these irreplaceable places.