This week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) released the following statement in response: 

"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."

Background

This week, the USDA announced the rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule. The rule prevented road construction and timber harvesting on approximately 59 million acres of National Forest System land. These restrictions severely limited the U.S. Forest Service from conducting responsible management and timber production, and impeded access for firefighters as they battled wildland fires. According to the USDA, 28 million acres of inventoried roadless areas are classified as being at high or very high risk of wildfire. 

The decision supports President Trump's Executive Order 14192, "Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation" by overturning a burdensome regulation, never codified by Congress, that hurts rural jobs and economic development.