We need a stronger Roadless Rule, codified in law

OCA just signed onto a letter to Congress to urge the Department of Agriculture to immediately preserve the “Roadless Rule” (35 CFR, Part 294) and update the policy to enact permanent Protection of these 58.2 million acres of priceless and irreplaceable ecosystems. A reformed Roadless Rule needs to end all forms of logging, grazing, mining, and drilling within Inventoried Roadless Area boundaries and close existing loopholes that allow logging and road-building. Read the letter

In June 2025, the Trump administration rescinded the 2001 Roadless Rule, removing critical protections from approximately 59 million acres of national forest lands. Since then, efforts have emerged in Congress to codify protections through the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025 (H.R. 3930 / S. 2042). However, codifying the existing Rule without addressing its loopholes risks locking in policies that allow harmful logging, road-building, and grazing under the guise of “restoration” or wildfire mitigation.

Last Congress, many of us raised serious concerns about these very issues and issued red lines around the bill’s current language, emphasizing the need for stronger safeguards. That moment demonstrated our shared commitment to ensuring roadless areas receive real, lasting protections—and that commitment remains critical today.

This is a pivotal moment. We have a rare opportunity not just to restore what was lost, but to do better—to secure lasting, meaningful protections that reflect what science, biodiversity, and the climate crisis demand. Roadless areas deserve more than a return to the status quo; they deserve a bold step forward.

Inventoried roadless areas are vital ecological connectors that buffer and link National Parks, Wilderness Areas, and other conservation lands. Weakening protections in these areas threatens not only their integrity but also the resilience of the broader conservation landscape.

Our letter calls for legislation that:

• Permanently prohibits logging, road construction, grazing, and other extractive activities in inventoried roadless areas;
• Closes loopholes in state and federal “Roadless Rules” that permit logging and road-building purportedly for wildfire mitigation;
• Prioritizes maintenance of existing classified roads and the decommissioning of unauthorized roads;
• Ensures these irreplaceable ecosystems remain intact as vital carbon sinks, biodiversity refuges, and sources of clean water.

Are you an individual looking to take action?
Individuals can help by sending a direct message to their members of Congress urging stronger protections for roadless areas. Use this quick action tool to make your voice heard: Fortify Roadless Protections: Stronger Than the Rule, Permanent in Law