Do not rescind the Roadless Rule. The USDA’s draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) points to economic and environmental harm happening to undeveloped backcountry forests, wildlife, water resources, and communities, if the rule is rescinded while also not improving wildfire risk reduction. The DEIS also suggests maintenance costs will increase. For fire mitigation the USDA should lean on the environmental wisdom of sovereign tribes and respect treaty rights.
The lands that the Roadless Rule protects are a common good and belong to the American people. They are vital resources for economic and physical health and often communities have grown or been created around tourist opportunities. Here in Pennsylvania, this is threatening the Allegheny National Forest. There is already access for hikers and ATVs. What is needed, in Alleghany and elsewhere, is pristine wilderness, untouched and unthreatened by commerce, construction, and cars. Leave the Roadless Rule in place. You asked in 2025 and Americans responded with more than 600,000 comments demanding our forest be left alone. It is our heritage and our land and deserves better than being open to bureaucratic abuse. Leave the Roadless Rule unaltered.