Source New Mexico: NM congressional delegation urges renewed public opposition to looming ‘Roadless Rule’ repeal

The United States Forest Service is expected to soon release a draft version of a policy that would rescind or greatly alter the 2001 "Roadless Rule," which protects roughly 60 million acres of federal forestland from road construction and timber harvesting.

Environmentalist organization Earthjustice held a news conference Wednesday opposing the change outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Most of New Mexico's congressional delegation spoke about what the rule's potential rescission will mean for hunters, conservationists, firefighters and others.

"Any day now, the administration is expected to take the next step to repeal this rule and open some of America's wildest public lands to road building and industrial development," said U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, whose 2nd Congressional District contains the Gila Wilderness. "Repealing the 'Roadless Rule' would be a massive giveaway to special interests at the expense of the American people."

United States Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of the rule last June. She said repealing the protections would prevent wildfires - though some recent studies suggest otherwise - and would mean more "logs on trucks" as the Trump administration seeks to rekindle a nationwide logging industry in federal forests.

"The heavy hand of Washington will no longer inhibit the management of our nation's forests," she said.

Since her announcement, which she made in Santa Fe during the Western Governors' Association meeting, the agency has steadily made progress and met requirements to fully rescind the rule.

The next step is a draft version of the rule as well as a draft environment impact statement. Once issued, members of the public will have an opportunity to weigh in, which Vasquez and other 'Roadless Rule' supporters encouraged Wednesday.

In a news release, Earthjustice said the announced repeal last June prompted immense public pushback, including eliciting more than 600,000 public comments, the vast majority of which in opposition. The release of the draft environmental impact statement "any day now" will be the public's last meaningful chance to have input on the proposal, organizers said Wednesday.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), encouraged hunters, in particular, to weigh in to oppose the repeal. He said the best places to hunt are in "roadless" areas, which provide swathes of uninterrupted wilderness.

"I'm giving up all my secrets here," he said. "Your success goes up inversely proportional to how far you are from a road. It means you have to pack that animal out. But that is the reality. If you're an elk hunter in New Mexico, you care about these 'roadless' areas."

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), the third New Mexico member of Congress to speak, said areas now protected under the "Roadless Rule" are sacred.

"These forests and these lands are woven into our very identity. They are where we hike, where we hunt, fish, pray, work, gather and reconnect with the land and with each other," she said. "These are not places for the administration to put up for sale."

In addition to the majority of New Mexico's delegation, Earthjustice also featured speakers from Alaska, Montana and North Carolina, including wildland firefighters, grizzly bear enthusiasts and others who oppose the rule's repeal.

"This will be our last opportunity for official public input on this absurd repeal effort," said Carson States, a wildland firefighter. "Our voices matter now more than ever."

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