Summary
The Trump administration plans to cancel the Roadless Rule, a conservation policy from 2001 that prevents new roads and logging on 58 million acres of federal forests. This action aims to increase logging and forest management to reduce wildfire risks, but environmental groups plan to oppose it in court.
Key Facts
- The Roadless Rule was created in 2001 under President Clinton to protect forest and wildland areas from development.
- The rule protects approximately 58 million acres of national forests from road construction and logging.
- President Trump ordered the Forest Service to increase logging on federal lands to help prevent wildfires.
- The Trump administration's decision to rescind the rule aligns with efforts to reduce regulations and support logging activities.
- Critics, including environmental groups, argue that developing forests with roads may increase wildfire risks.
- Environmental groups like Earthjustice plan to challenge the rollback of the Roadless Rule in court.
- The Wilderness Act is a law that reserves certain powers for Congress, and some Republican states and industry groups argue Clinton overstepped those powers with the Roadless Rule.
