The U.S. Department of Agriculture, led by Brooke Rollins, formally announced the proposed termination Wednesday, initiating a 21-day public comment period that opens Friday. The rule currently prohibits road construction, logging, and mining on about 30% of Forest Service-managed lands, protecting wildlife corridors, watersheds, and old-growth forests.
Rollins called the rule "burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations" and said its removal would boost economic growth. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, a former lumber industry executive, added that the rule has "frustrated land managers for years" and served as a barrier to commercial logging and wildfire prevention efforts.
The proposal has drawn fierce opposition from Oregon environmental advocates and Democratic lawmakers. Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) called the move an "attack" on protected lands and is pushing for the Roadless Area Conservation Act to make the protections federal law.
"Gutting the Roadless Rule would be the single largest rollback of conservation protections in our nation's history," said Tracy Stone-Manning, president of the Wilderness Society.
Protected areas at risk in Oregon include Iron Mountain in the Willamette National Forest, Joseph Canyon in Wallowa County, Tumalo Mountain, and Lookout Mountain in the Ochoco National Forest. Environmental groups warn that removing these protections could threaten drinking water sources, wildlife habitats, and carbon-storing old-growth forests.
The public comment period runs through September 19.