ACTION ALERT: Comment in Support of the Roadless Rule

UPDATE: September 10, 2026

The public comment period for the proposed rule to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule has been EXTENDED. The new deadline for comments is October 6, 2026.

WWA still urges you to submit your comment sooner rather than later using the tips and talking points below.

In 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule was adopted with overwhelming public support to protect 45 million acres of roadless national forest land. The Roadless Rule was the result of years of work and public input. The public comment period set a record with 1.6 million public comments submitted.

Our goal, collectively, is to generate and document that same level of undeniable, broad, and unilateral support for the Roadless Rule, nationwide, during the current comment period.

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ORIGINAL POST:

On August 18, 2026, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the US Forest Service (USFS) filed a proposed rule to rescind the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.  On August 19, the USDA has released more information about the proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule. On August 20, The USDA published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Proposed Rule, which made it clear that their intent is to completely rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

You can read our original News Alert here.

Of the three Alternatives to the 2001 Roadless Rule being analyzed in the recently released USDA Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) only the “No Action” alternative preserves protections for our roadless forests.

Public comment is now open.

All comments must be submitted by September 21, 2026, at 11:59pm EST (9:59pm MST). WWA has put together tips and talking points for submitting successful public comments below.

PLEASE NOTE that in their ongoing efforts to silence the public voice, the administration is working to dismiss form letters and petitions. For this reason, rather than provide our own WWA comment portal and pre-filled comment form, we are asking that you use the information provided below to go directly to the agency comment portals to draft your own letters opposing the proposed revisions to the Roadless Rule. YOUR C

Roadless Rule Talking Points:

With about half of all National Forest land already open to drilling, logging, and mining, and less than twenty percent protected as Wilderness, remote Roadless Landscapes - and the clean air and water, intact habitat, pristine forests they, and the unparalleled opportunities for recreation they encompass - are a significant and integral piece to the wildland network here in Wyoming and across the country. Rescission of the Roadless Rule would expose these areas to timber extraction and other threats.

Proponents of Roadless Rule rescission argue that doing so is necessary to expand timber and energy development to increase revenue, to more effectively manage wildfires, and to increase local control. Studies have shown, however, that invalidating the Roadless Rule and opening backcountry forests to new roads will do nothing to prevent wildfires, and will likely exacerbate the issue. Studies also show that the investment made by protecting these forests far outweighs the short-term monetary gain, if any, that would be made from extractive activities. And, as past public comment periods show, locals have clearly expressed their desire to keep roadless area protections in place.

Tips for Submitting Successful Comments in Defense of the Roadless Rule:

• Introduce yourself and your connection to our National Forests.

• Share that you strongly support the “No Action” Alternative 1 that would maintain protections for our Roadless Forests, and that you strongly oppose Alternatives 2 and 3, which would strip their protections.

• Explain that Roadless Areas are critical to fresh drinking water, animal habitat, and opportunities for recreational access.

• Rebuff the claims that this action is in order to better respond to wildfire using the science that the majority of wildfires start within a quarter mile of a road.

• Remind the USDA that they cannot afford the roads already on our National Forest lands , making it irresponsible and nonsensical to build more.

• Close by stating that, out of a very lengthy list of reasons to keep the Roadless Rule in place, perhaps the most relevant and important argument is that it is what the American people, whose public lands it protects, are in overwhelming favor of!

Thank you for speaking up in defense of our last best forests! Submit your comment by 11:59pm EST (9:59pm MST) on September 21, 2026!