The U.S. Forest Service has proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule which I oppose. It currently protects over 44 million acres of roadless areas nationwide from most road construction and commercial timber harvesting. If finalized that stupid costly rescission would allow the destruction of pristine habitat by allowing road construction, commercial logging and mining. Destruction due to wildfires will increase due to more roads, cigarette trash and unattended fire pits and drier habitat. The repeal will cause habitat and wildlife fragmentation, greenhouse gases releases and polluted groundwater. The trump administration does not want to protect our planet or our residents, seeing only dollar signs and more campaign cash. In regards to logging, paper can be recycled; we use far less paper than ever. But like the drilling of oil, coal and natural gas, the trump administration is stuck in the dark ages making America weak unable to compete with other nations on innovative projects.
The Forest Service should keep the Roadless Rule intact exactly as it is. Do not weaken or repeal this critical policy.
National forests are the heart of our public lands. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects some of the wildest forests we have left, forests that protect critical wildlife habitat and drinking water for millions. Revoking the Roadless Rule puts landscapes, wildlife, and communities at risk.
Not only is the Roadless Rule good policy, it's also wildly popular across the country, with over 600,000 people submitting comments to the US Forest Service last year in support of keeping the rule in place. And more than 20 years ago, the American people overwhelmingly called for our national forests to be protected for future generations. Revoking the Roadless Rule would destroy the natural inheritance we leave for our children.