The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service published a proposed rule to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule on August 20, 2026. The stated intent of the proposed rescission is to reduce regulatory burden and return decisionmaking for the management of inventoried roadless areas to the land management planning process at the individual national forest level.

The proposed rule is identified by RIN 0596-AD66 and docket number FS-2025-0001. A draft environmental impact statement and cost benefit analysis are being published simultaneously with the proposed rule. Joshua White serves as the Acting Director of Ecosystem Management Coordination for the Forest Service.

Public comments on the proposed rule must be received in writing by September 21, 2026. Comments may be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal or by mail to the Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination, 201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108, Washington, DC 20250-1124. State-specific rules for Idaho (36 CFR 294 Subpart C) and Colorado (36 CFR 294 Subpart D) remain in effect.

The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule established prohibitions on road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting within 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands. The 2001 Roadless Rule was promulgated by the Forest Service on January 12, 2001. A 2006 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California set aside a 2005 replacement rule known as the State Petitions Rule and reinstated the 2001 Roadless Rule.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the reinstatement of the 2001 Roadless Rule in California ex rel. Lockyer v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 575 F.3d 999 (9th Cir. 2009).

The proposed action advances the policy objectives of Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. Executive Order 14225, Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production, declared that heavy-handed Federal policies have prevented full utilization of domestic timber resources. Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy, declared that it is in the national interest to unleash America's affordable and reliable energy and natural resources. Executive Order 14153, Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential, was issued by the President.