Comments close: Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a proposed rule to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This 2001 regulation currently prohibits road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting within designated inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands. The USDA states that the goal of this rescission is to reduce regulatory burdens and return management authority to individual national forests. Under the proposed change, management of these areas would be governed by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and the National Forest Management Act of 1976. The agency argues that these existing frameworks provide more flexibility for local officials to respond to specific resource conditions and landscape-level needs. The USDA is soliciting public comment on the proposed rule, an associated draft environmental impact statement, and a cost-benefit analysis. Comments must be submitted by September 21, 2026, via the Federal eRulemaking Portal or by mail to the Director of Ecosystem Management Coordination in Washington, D.C.