As a lifelong Alaskan and someone who has seen the devastation that the roadless rule has created to the communities in southeast Alaska, I am 100% in favor of rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001 Roadless Rule) (66 FR 3244, 36 CFR Subpart B (2001))
The 2001 Roadless Rule was devastating for the communities in Southeast Alaska. Families that had lived in the area for generations were forced to move elsewhere to provide an economic solution for themselves and their children. The rule was unnecessary, ill planned, and didn’t recognize the economic hardship it would create for the people living in the area. The department itself put out a statement saying that they had concluded that the social and economic hardships to Southeast Alaska outweighed the potential long-term ecological benefits. The basis of that statement was that the Tongass Forest plan adequately provided for the ecological sustainability of the Tongass. The USDA made a policy determination in 2003, 2010 and 2020 stating, “Every facet of Southeast Alaska’s economy is important and the potential adverse impacts from application of the roadless rule are not warranted given the abundance of roadless areas and protections already afforded in the Tongass Forest Plan.”
The National Forest System is already governed by statutes, regulations, and forest plans that provide meaningful conservation protections. Rescinding this rule would allow for the National Forest Land Management planning processes to function as they were originally intended.
Thank you for your consideration.