Environmental advocates are urging residents across the Midwest to oppose the Trump administration's proposal to repeal the Roadless Rule. The conservation policy safeguards more than half a million acres of undeveloped land in National Forests across the Midwest from road construction and logging.
Kelly Thayer, senior policy advocate with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said these lands have remained untouched for decades and represent some of America's most pristine wilderness. He stressed that cutting them down to allow logging, mining and roads would accelerate climate change and threaten the water source for many communities.
"So, ironically, the rule is preventing fires," he explained. "The Trump administration wants to repeal it in the name of fighting fires. The truth is that roads and people who use them are the greatest cause of forest fires."
Thayer added that the law includes flexibility for things like fire management, making the proposed repeal unnecessary. He emphasizes how critical it is for people to voice their concerns now given the U.S. Department of Agriculture only provided a 21-day public comment period which ends Friday. People can submit comments online at Regulations.gov.
The Roadless Rule was established in 2001. Thayer said after more than 600 public meetings and a record 1.6 million public comments, an overwhelming majority of people supported the protection of these natural lands. So far, more than 133,000 comments have been submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in response to the proposed repeal.
"We have some fantastic wild gems right in our midst," he said. "These areas are in our backyard and they can be lost, and lost forever if we don't stand up and take action now."
Those include the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin and Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest. Thayer stressed these wildlands would be at risk should the Department of Agriculture move forward with ending the Roadless Rule. Supporters of the rollback say more roads will help firefighters reach hard-to-access areas and provide economic opportunities through logging.
