WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Strong Support for Secretary Rollins’ Rescission of Roadless Rule, Eliminating Impediment to Responsible Forest Management
(Washington, D.C., June 24, 2025) — Following U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins’ announcement rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, elected leaders and industry stakeholders praised the move.
Agriculture and Government Leaders Applaud USDA’s Rescission of the Roadless Rule
Governor Spencer Cox (UT): “I sincerely thank Secretary Rollins for taking this commonsense step. Utahns love our forests—they’re essential to our water and air quality, wildlife, outdoor recreation, economy, and way of life. But for more than two decades, the Roadless Rule has blocked us from responsibly accessing and managing over four million acres of forest. It’s prevented us from removing dead and dying timber, fueling catastrophic wildfires across our state. Ending this rule is a critical step toward healthier forests and safer communities.”
Governor Mike Dunleavy (AK): “This is another example of President Trump fulfilling his campaign promise to open up resources for responsible development. Thank you POTUS and Secretary Rollins for continuing to roll back unnecessary regulations that stifle economic activity and send opportunity overseas.”
Governor Greg Gianforte (MT): “Under this outdated rule, nearly 58% of forest service land in Montana was restricted from road development and unable to be properly managed for fire risk. Thank you, Secretary Rollins and President Trump, for restoring common sense to active forest management.”
Senator Dan Sullivan (AK): “I welcome the decision by Secretary Rollins and President Trump to rescind the Roadless Rule and allow for proper management of US Forest System lands in Alaska. Since 2001, this rule has hindered Alaskans' ability to responsibly harvest timber, develop minerals, connect communities, or build energy projects at lower costs — including renewable energy projects like hydropower, which are especially critical to economic opportunities in Southeast Alaska surrounded by the Tongass National Forest. I am grateful that the Trump administration has once again rescinded this rule to put Alaskans back in the driver’s seat to make a living, support our families, and connect our communities while protecting our lands and growing our economy.”
Senator Steve Daines (MT): “Huge win for Montana, forest management, and wildfire mitigation. Thanks to the Trump administration and USDA for being committed to Montana-First priorities.”
Senator John Barrasso (WY): “Thank you Sec. Rollins for rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule. For years, this overreaching regulation made it harder to treat our national forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires. Eliminating this misguided rule paves the way for the Forest Service to responsibly and proactively manage our forests for the better.”
Senator Cynthia Lummis (WY): “I applaud Sec. Rollins' move to restore commonsense resource management and remove prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest, allowing for fire prevention and responsible timber production.”
Senator Josh Hoeven (ND): “Rolling back the restrictive roadlesss rule is an important step in helping to ensure access to the grasslands and putting decision-making back into the hands of locals who know best how to manage these lands. We appreciate Secretary Rollins and USDA for working to rescind this rule and to provide more local control over our federal lands. This deregulation is an important step as we continue working with USDA to ensure section line rights-of-way are respected in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.”
House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR): "This week's decision by Secretary Rollins is a massive win for restoring the health and resiliency of our federal forests, preventing catastrophic wildfire, and restoring access for the public and wildland firefighters. It acknowledges that we cannot lock up our forests and throw away the key – we need to actively manage and conserve our forests for cleaner air and water, better wildlife habitat, and safer communities. I thank Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration for repealing burdensome, overreaching federal regulations like this one."
Representative Harriet Hageman (WY): “I commend Sec. Rollins and POTUS for taking decisive action to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule. This outdated policy has long hindered effective forest management. I look forward to working with the USDA and local stakeholders to ensure our forests are managed responsibly, creating jobs, and preserving the resources that are vital to our way of life.”
Representative Pete Stauber (MN): “I applaud Sec. Rollins for rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, a harmful regulation that blocked responsible forest management and timber production, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. This decision marks a significant victory for MN and for communities across the nation!”
Representative Doug LaMalfa (CA): “The Forest Service is finally beginning the process to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule—a policy that’s done more harm than good in the West. As Secretary Rollins made clear, the rule has blocked responsible forest management for over two decades, preventing thinning, logging, and the ability to build roads that are critical for wildfire response and public safety. This was a Clinton-era regulation pushed through in the final days of that administration, backed by environmental activists with no stake in what actually happens on the ground. The result was more overgrown forests, more catastrophic wildfires, and fewer jobs in rural counties that rely on active forest work to sustain their economies. Repealing the Roadless Rule won’t fix everything overnight, but it’s a major step toward restoring common-sense forest management and giving local experts the ability to do their jobs.”
Representative Nick Begich (AK): “Today’s decision by the USDA to rescind the deeply flawed and outdated Roadless Rule is yet another a major victory for Alaska. Alaska’s forests are one of our state’s greatest natural assets and the 'Roadless Rule' has long stifled responsible forest management, blocked access to critical resources, and halted economic opportunity particularly in Alaska, where 92% of the Tongass National Forest was off-limits. The Roadless Rule was never about responsible conservation; it was about bureaucratic overreach that undermined the ability of local forest managers and communities to effectively manage their lands. I commend Secretary Rollins and President Trump for their leadership in advancing this commonsense reform. By removing these blanket prohibitions, the Administration is restoring the authority of local leaders to manage our forests correctly.”
Representative Ryan Zinke (MT): “The rescission of the outdated Roadless Rule is a victory for Montana, public lands, and forest management everywhere. As I've long maintained, one of the biggest obstacles to proper forest management and wildfire prevention has been unnecessary and overbearing regulations like this one. If you can't build a road, you can't fight fires, you can't cut trees, and you can't properly take care of our national heritage held in our public lands. I applaud the President and Secretary Rollins for their initiative to allow real and needed work to be done on our national forest land.”
Representative Troy Downing (MT): “Long overdue! The USDA's move to rescind the Roadless Rule is a critical step toward responsible forest management that will help reduce wildfire risk, protect watersheds, and support rural economies.”
Representative Eli Crane (AZ): “Smart. Thank you, Sec. Rollins!”
Representative Jeff Crank (CO): “Thanks to USDA Sec. Rollins for rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule – 28 million acres at high wildfire risk is unacceptable. We need active forest management NOW. This rule needlessly ties the hands of local forest managers restricting necessary management practices like thinning and vegetation removal to prevent catastrophic wildfires that harm communities. A healthier forest means healthier habitat which is great for species conservation and outdoorsmen.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz: “The forests we see today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, insect-born disease, and wildfire. Currently, nearly half of our roadless acres – over 28 million – are at high or very high risk of catastrophic wildfire and are in desperate need of treatment. I applaud Secretary Rollins for taking decisive action to provide us with the tools and decision space we need to truly care for our forests and, in turn, protect the people and communities we serve.”
American Forest Resource Council: “The Clinton-era Roadless Rule is a relic of the past—a 25-year-old policy that has failed to protect our forests and communities from the growing threats of wildfire, insects, disease, and climate change. Since the rule was imposed, an estimated 36 million acres of National Forest System lands have burned. It’s important to remember: the Roadless Rule is a rule, not a law passed or ratified by Congress, despite a quarter-century to do so. It has often undermined Congress’s intent to actively manage federal forests and reduce risks to public lands and nearby communities. Rescinding the rule does not upend environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act or the Endangered Species Act. While we are closely reviewing the details of this proposed recission, we are supportive of reforms that modernize stewardship and give public land managers the tools they need to implement their forest plans and restore the health and resilience of these forests before we lose more of them.”
Scott Dane, executive director of the American Loggers Council: “We need to remove the barriers, and there are multiple barriers…[Roadless-era prohibitions are] another cut of a thousand cuts.”
Scott Jones, CEO, Forest Landowners Association: "The Forest Landowners Association (FLA) applauds Secretary Rollins and the Trump Administration for rescinding the Roadless Rule—an important step in eliminating regulatory barriers that hinder forest management on public lands. This action will help reduce wildfire risk and promote healthier, more resilient forests through active, science-based management. We look forward to working with Secretary Rollins to advance policies that strengthen forest markets and keep working forests productive across all ownerships. Improved management on our national forests—many of which border private lands—will reduce the spread of pests, disease, and catastrophic fire, benefitting forests nationwide. FLA remains committed to partnering with the Trump Administration to ensure family forest owners have the certainty they need through enhanced disaster recovery tools and access to emerging markets, including woody biomass, mass timber, and sustainable aviation fuel. Together, we can sustain America’s forest legacy and strengthen the nation’s wood supply for generations to come.”
American Forest Resource Council: “Yesterday Sec. Rollins announced the rescission of the 'Roadless Rule,' a de-facto prohibition on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System. We welcome urgent action to address the nation's wildfire crisis.”
American Stewards of Liberty: “The roadless rule has strangled the West. No more. Thank you Sec. Rollins.”
Resource Development Council for Alaska: “Good news coming out of the USDA today regarding rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule!”
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