The reason why over 1 million Americans, including myself, oppose this move to rescind the Roadless Rule is simple, it is a direct threat to our health. “Undeveloped” land does not mean unproductive. These protected lands ensure we have legacy and old growth forests that clean our water and air, and provide habitat for millions of species. These ecosystems are directly tied to our wellbeing. A study conducted by the Forest Service itself and published on August 19, 2026 showed that repealing the roadless rule would increase wildfire risk and increase harm to our communities directly tied to the roads themselves.
As a Californian constituent, I am aware of the cost of wildfires. NBC Los Angeles reported the City of LA spent 31.74 million dollars on the Palisades fire of 2025. That was for the fire itself. The reported cost does not include the cost communities spent to rebuild or the emotional cost of losing everything. It does not include the number of lives lost or the amount of land destroyed.
Repealing the Roadless Rule opens various vast spaces across the US to loss. Loss of life both human and animal, loss of clean air, and especially loss of clean water. The U.S. Forest Service itself estimates that Roadless Areas clean and provide water to approximately 25 million Americans.
Fresh water is our most precious resource. We would be remiss to continue to allow and pass policies that risk our drinking water.
Trees are important contributors to our climate and ecosystems. We are dependent on them for our air, water, and land stability. At this stage of climate change, it is important that was protect our trees as they are an important buffer to keeping our climate livable.
The Roadless Rule protects both of these assets as well as the living beings who depend upon them.
The magnanimity of our forest should be protected for generations to come. Once they are gone, they cannot simply be replaced. Trees do not grow quickly, a new sapling does not have the same productivity as a thousand year old tree.
In our fast paced, single use, throw away culture, it is increasingly important to stand for places worth protecting and increasingly important to recognize the value in leaving protected land as it is.
For these reasons as well as a personal love for all the forests I’ve been privileged enough to visit: Yosemite, Zion, Big Sur, San Bernardino, Cleveland National Forest, I strongly oppose the intent to repeal the Roadless Rule.