The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting public comment on its proposal to rescind what’s known as the Roadless Rule. The policy was passed in 2001 to protect relatively undisturbed areas from road development and resource extraction like logging.
More than 65 million acres nationwide are protected under the rule. In Montana that includes areas in the Bitterroot, Crazy Mountains and the Swan Valley.
The Trump administration says removing the policy reduces burdensome regulations, and would mitigate wildfires.
But environmental groups warn a rollback of the policy would fragment intact ecosystems, harm wildlife, and increase wildfire risk by bringing in more human disturbance. According to the National Parks Service, 85% of wildfires in the U.S. are caused by people.
Public comment is open until September 19.
-
The Trump administration recently announced its plans to repeal a 20 year-old policy that prevented road construction and logging on some federal public lands. The Roadless Rule applies to 6 million acres in Montana.
