The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to strip protections from 44 million acres of national forest.
The U.S. Forest Service has proposed to rescind the 2001 “Roadless Rule,” which prohibits road construction and logging in pristine parts of national forests that don’t currently have roads.
By blocking roads, the rule targeted by the administration also inhibits activity like mining and oil and gas drilling in these areas.
Officials said Tuesday that 44 million acres of the 193-million-acre National Forest System are subject to these protections. In a press release, the administration argued the rule also impedes forest management and could exacerbate wildfires.
“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a written statement.
“Today, we filed a proposal to restore authority to local forest managers who know the land best, removing the barriers that have kept them from doing the work the land demands,” she added. “It’s time to turn the page on the failed roadless rule and return our forests to health and productivity.”
However, environmental advocates criticized the move, arguing that it would allow for harm to the forests.
“The Forest Service’s misguided proposal will clear the way for reckless projects that can permanently scar these spectacular roadless landscapes and do long-lasting harm to countless communities that depend on our national forests for tourism, recreation, and clean drinking water,” Kristin Gendzier, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, wrote in a statement.
