NEW: Governor Spanberger Stands Up to Trump Administration Effort to Strip Protections from 400,000 Acres of National Forests in Virginia

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today urged the Trump Administration to abandon its proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule - known as the Roadless Rule - that would jeopardize nearly 400,000 acres of National Forests in Virginia.

In a new letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Governor Spanberger highlighted the importance of the Roadless Rule to safeguarding drinking water resources, supporting the outdoor recreation industry, and preserving the Commonwealth's natural beauty for future generations.

"The Roadless Rule is critical to protecting sensitive wildlife habitat, water quality and drinking water supplies, as well as Virginia's outdoor recreation economy," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "The repeal of the Roadless Rule would open the door to further fragmentation of our forest areas, harming these ecological core habitats, and disrupting important wildlife corridors and migratory patterns."

Governor Spanberger continued, "The current Roadless Rule works, and I ask that the USDA reconsider this rescission proposal and maintain the Roadless Rule."

Created in 2001, the Roadless Rule designates specific areas within the National Forest System as inventoried roadless areas - limiting the construction of new roads and other impacts. In total, nearly 45 million acres of forests across the country are recognized as roadless areas.

U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott, Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, Eugene Vindman, Suhas Subramanyam, and James Walkinshaw have all opposed the proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

"For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has helped safeguard hundreds of thousands of acres of Virginia's forests, protecting clean drinking water, supporting local economies, preserving wildlife habitats and migration corridors, and ensuring opportunities for outdoor recreation," said U.S. Senator Mark Warner. "The Trump administration's proposal to roll back these protections would open the door to road construction and logging, threatening irreversible damage to Virginia's forests, ecosystems, and wildlife. It's important that we preserve these longstanding protections for the wildlife, communities, businesses, and families who depend on healthy forests."

"The Roadless Rule has protected nearly 45 million acres of public land, including nearly 400,000 acres in Virginia, since it was finalized," said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. "I strongly oppose the Trump-Vance Administration's rollback of this rule, which would open the door to more development and increased logging in our national forests. I'll keep working with Governor Spanberger and others in the delegation to protect our roadless areas, which support outdoor recreation, tourism, and local economic growth in communities across the country."

"The Trump Administration's decision to repeal the Roadless Rule threatens millions of acres of protected public lands, including nearly 400,000 acres in Virginia's George Washington and Jefferson National Forests," said Congressman Bobby Scott. "These protections are critical to preserving clean drinking water, protecting wildlife habitats, and ensuring future generations can enjoy our nation's natural treasures. We should be protecting these invaluable resources, not opening them up to development and exploitation."

"Virginia's national forests are essential for our drinking water, wildlife preservation, and supporting tourism and outdoor recreation that drive local economies," said Congressman Don Beyer. "The Trump Administration's proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule would strip protections from 84 percent of Virginia's roadless areas, opening these forests to road construction, logging, and other industrial development that could threaten water quality, destroy wildlife habitats, unnecessarily increase wildfire risks, and undermine communities and businesses that depend on these lands. There is no good reason to roll back 25 years of protections and put these resources at risk, and the USDA proposal would do substantial harm. I will continue working with leaders from across the Commonwealth to keep Virginia's forests protected for generations to come."

"The Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects nearly 400,000 acres of national forest lands in Virginia, more than any other state east of the Mississippi River," said Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. "Opening these lands to construction and development will degrade water quality, harm biodiversity and devastate local economies that depend on outdoor recreation and tourism. I proudly led Virginia's Democratic Congressional Delegation in opposing the rescission and firmly stand with Governor Spanberger to protect these critically important lands."

"Rescinding the Roadless Rule would put hundreds of thousands of acres of Virginia's forests at risk, threatening clean drinking water, wildlife habitats, and the outdoor recreation and tourism that support our local economies," said Congressman Eugene Vindman. "As the only Virginian on the House Agriculture Committee, I know how important these protections are to our rural communities and the families who depend on them. I thank Governor Spanberger for urging Secretary Rollins to abandon this reckless proposal and preserve these critical safeguards for future generations."

"Once we pave or damage public lands, we can never get them back," said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. "The Roadless Rule protects clean water, wildlife, and some of America's most untouched places. It gives future generations the chance to experience them too. We have a responsibility to keep the Roadless Rule in place and protect these irreplaceable places for all Americans."

"Virginia's national forests protect the clean water we drink, give families trails to explore together, and support jobs at local outfitters, restaurants, and lodging businesses," said Congressman James Walkinshaw. "The Trump Administration's proposal to repeal the Roadless Rule threatens our drinking water, wildlife habitat, and the livelihoods that depend on healthy forests. I stand with Governor Spanberger in urging Secretary Rollins to abandon this proposal and preserve these protections for future generations."

Click here or read below for Governor Abigail Spanberger's full letter:

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Dear Secretary Rollins:

On behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I write to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture to abandon its proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule ("Roadless Rule"). This is an issue of significant importance to the Commonwealth, which is why, as a member of Congress, I co-sponsored the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2021, which sought to codify the Roadless Rule. The Roadless Rule applies to nearly 400,000 acres in the Commonwealth and is among the most consequential measures taken at the federal level to conserve our natural resources. The Roadless Rule is critical to protecting sensitive wildlife habitat, water quality and drinking water supplies, as well as Virginia's outdoor recreation economy.

Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation has identified 103 Natural Heritage Conservation Sites within the current national forest roadless areas. Of these, 32 are considered essential to the long-term persistence of their associated species and 57 have high to outstanding biodiversity significance. In addition, the present national forest roadless areas contain the greatest share of the highest quality "ecological core" habitats in Virginia. Ecological cores are defined as large, unfragmented areas of natural land containing at least 100 contiguous acres of interior habitat. The repeal of the Roadless Rule would open the door to further fragmentation of our forest areas, harming these ecological core habitats and disrupting important wildlife corridors and migratory patterns.

Notably, forestry is a key driver of Virginia's economy as our third largest private industry, and federal lands protected by the Roadless Rule comprise a small amount of Virginia's working forestland, with minimal commercial logging activity. Virginia's Department of Forestry has successfully worked alongside federal partners to ensure forest health and fire safety on these lands under the Roadless Rule, and we wish to see that shared stewardship continue.

The current Roadless Rule works, and I ask that the USDA reconsider this rescission proposal and maintain the Roadless Rule.

Sincerely,

Abigail D. Spanberger

Governor

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