An analysis of public comments made during the Trump administration’s repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule found more than 99% comments were in opposition of the proposal.

The Center for Western Priorities found that over 99% of the more than 183,000 comments submitted to regulations.gov as of this past Friday oppose the Trump administration’s plan to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule during the U.S. Forest Service’s 21-day comment period. The results show the general public is largely opposed to the agency plan, which currently protects over 58.8 million acres of national forest land from road-building, logging, and other industrial activity,

Tens of thousands more public comments collected by conservation and outdoor advocacy groups were expected to be submitted in the closing hours of the comment period.

The center downloaded all 183,168 public comments posted to regulations.gov as of 6 a.m. on Friday. The comment period closes at 11:59 p.m. the same day.

Using a combination of manual and keyword analysis, a statistically random sample of 5,000 of those comments were categorized as “supportive,” “opposed,” or “neutral” to the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule. The sample has a margin of error of plus/minus 1.4%.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced in June during a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association in New Mexico that the department and the Forest Service intended to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule in its entirely. She argued the rule is “overly restrictive” and prevents proper forest management, including wildfire prevention.

“Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule,” Rollins said. “This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation’s forests. It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.”

This action aligns with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation, to get rid of overcomplicated, burdensome barriers that hamper American business and innovation, according to a USDA press release when the plan was announced.

In the announcement Rollins claimed that the Trump administration planned to repeal the Roadless Rule in order to increase timber production and reduce wildfire risk in national forests. But some research has shown that increasing the amount of roads in forests actually increases wildfire risk. Additionally, the Forest Service already faces a $10 billion road maintenance backlog without adding new construction projects.

The center claims fuel reduction treatments “can and do take place in national forest lands protected by the Roadless Rule.”

“Fuel management activities in roadless areas have actually been more numerous on a per-acre basis than elsewhere in the National Forest System, and historical fire maps indicate that forests with and without roads have burned at similar rates since the rule took effect in 2001,” according to a Friday press release by the center.

GOP support

All three of Wyoming’s national representatives are in favor of rescinding the Roadless Rule. Rep. Harriet Hageman called the rule “an outdated administrative rule that contradicts the will of Congress and goes against the mandate of the U.S. Forest Service to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands.”

Hageman said the Clinton administration rule was done so despite being in violation of other legislation.

“The Clinton Roadless Rule was designed to deny access, management, and use to 58.5 million acres of National Forest Service lands. This was done in violation of the 1897 Organic Act, Wilderness Act, and National Environmental Policy Act,” Hageman claims on her official website.

In June, Sen. Cynthia Lummis applauded USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ move to repeal the rule, stating it would “restore commonsense resource management and remove prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest,”

Then, in July, Sen. John Barrasso thanked the Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz for working with Rollins to rescind the rule. He called it an “outdated policy that has hindered forest management in Wyoming for years.”

He also said that rescinding it would “restore vital forest health” and “reduce wildfire risk across the country.”

According to Colorado College’s 2025 State of the Rockies Project, 76% of Wyoming residents prefer decisions about public lands, water and wildlife be made by career professionals such as rangers, scientists and firefighters rather than new appointed officials who come from other industries.

When all Western states were asked the same question, by more than a nine-to-one ratio, Western voters prefer that career professionals make decisions about natural resources over new officials with different perspectives. A stunning 87% of Westerners opt for those who have been guiding land management and resource decision rather than newly elected or appointed politicians.

Previous action

The Roadless Rule garnered 1.6 million public comments when it was first proposed by the Clinton administration, with over 90% of commenters favoring it. Crafting the 2001 Roadless Rule was a two-year process that involved more than 600 public hearings across the country.

A 2019 poll by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 75% of the public supported the rule at that time. The poll also found that those in rural areas are just as likely to support the policy as those in nonrural areas.

“Across state lines and party lines, Americans spoke with one voice to tell President Trump to stop this attack on America’s forests,” said the center’s Deputy Director Aaron Weiss. “Public support for the Roadless Rule has only increased in the quarter century it has been in place. During that time, the rule has protected countless watersheds, habitats, as well as provided incredible backcountry recreation opportunities to the nation.”

He added the proposal to rescind the rule is “nothing more than a giveaway to timber and mining companies.”

He said opening our forests for clear cuts and strip mines will increase wildfire risk, decrease water quality, degrade habitat, and harm the backcountry that outdoorsmen and women hold dear. “Unfortunately, the Trump administration is dead-set on hobbling the Forest Service with staffing and budget cuts while handing our national forests over to companies that will inevitably harm the long-term health of our forests,” Weiss said.

There is opposition to the rule change by Trout Unlimited and many other organizations dealing with outdoor sports and wildlife and habitat conservation.

“For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has safeguarded America’s backcountry — lands that are home to 70% of our native trout and salmon, that protect drinking water for millions, and that offer some of the finest hunting and fishing opportunity in the world,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “We would, honestly, welcome a transparent, collaborative process to determine if tweaks to the rule would allow us to better protect the values of roadless areas while also better protecting communities of people at risk of catastrophic fire. Rather than rescinding the Roadless Rule and allowing that chaos to unfold, we encourage the Forest Service to work with stakeholders to develop solutions that continue to protect roadless areas and intact fish and wildlife habitat.”