I write to express my strong opposition to the U.S. Forest Service's proposed revisions to the Travel Management Rule (36 CFR Part 212), announced August 21, 2026, and noticed in the Federal Register on August 24, 2026 (Docket No. FS-2026-0100). We urge the Forest Service to withdraw this proposal and retain the existing 2005 Travel Management Rule framework.
The proposal would extend e-bike access onto trails currently designated non-motorized. Many of these trails were designed and are maintained for hikers, equestrians, and traditional mountain bikers; introducing motorized and higher-speed use raises genuine safety concerns, increases erosion on trails not engineered for it, and was adopted without the route-specific environmental review such a change warrants. With the USFS’ own acknowledgement of little enforcement and management, the opportunity for recreationalists not following the rules is high. There will be an increase in user conflict. The anticipated - and unanticipated – potential environmental degradation involved in this change cannot be underscored enough.
We respectfully request that the Forest Service:
Withdraw the proposed shift to an "open-unless-closed" default and retain the current closed-unless-open framework;
Retain the national minimization criteria in any revised rule;
Require route-specific, science-based environmental review — including wildlife, watershed, and soil impact analysis — before any new roads, trails, or vehicle types (including e-bikes) are added to the system; and
Extend the public comment period and hold in-person and virtual public hearings in affected forest communities.