USDA Extends Roadless-Rule Comment Deadline to Oct. 6
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline for public comments on its proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Comments are now due Oct. 6, 2026, 15 days later than the original Sept. 21 deadline.
The Federal Register extension notice was published Sept. 11. The additional time applies to the proposed rule, its draft environmental impact statement and the accompanying cost-benefit analysis.
What USDA is proposing
The underlying proposal would remove and reserve 36 CFR Part 294, Subpart B, the section containing the national roadless-area rule. The current rule generally restricts road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas of the National Forest System, subject to specified exceptions.
USDA says rescinding the national rule would return more decisions to individual national forests and local Forest Service officials. The agency has cited wildfire risk, forest health, local flexibility, economic opportunity and a desire to reduce regulatory burdens as reasons for considering the change.
The Forest Service says the 2001 rule currently applies to nearly 45 million acres of National Forest System lands. Idaho and Colorado are governed by separate state-specific roadless rules that would remain in place, rather than by the same national framework described in the proposal.
What would not happen automatically
The proposal is not a final decision, and the 2001 rule remains in effect while the rulemaking continues. Rescinding the rule would not itself approve a particular road, timber sale or energy project.
It also would not automatically amend or revise individual forest plans. Future projects would still have to comply with applicable forest-plan requirements and other federal laws and reviews, including requirements that may apply under the National Environmental Policy Act.
That distinction matters because the immediate action is procedural: USDA has extended the public’s opportunity to comment. Any final rule would require additional agency action before the national restrictions could be changed.
What is at stake
USDA’s proposal frames greater local discretion as a way to improve wildfire and forest-health management and expand potential economic activity. Conservation interests have raised different concerns, including effects on undeveloped forests, recreation, water resources, wildlife habitat and cumulative impacts from future decisions.
The Associated Press reported that supporters describe the rule as a barrier to local forest management and wildfire-risk reduction, while opponents warn that removing the national protections could increase pressure for roads, logging and other development. Those are competing arguments about a possible future policy change, not projects authorized by the extension notice.
The agency’s acreage and economic figures are projections used in the rulemaking record rather than guaranteed outcomes.
How to submit a comment
Members of the public can comment through Regulations.gov using docket FS-2025-0001 or by identifying RIN 0596-AD66. Comments may also be submitted by mail using the address listed in the Federal Register notice.
Comments should address the proposed rescission, the draft environmental impact statement, the cost-benefit analysis and possible alternatives. They must be received by Oct. 6, 2026.
Comments submitted to the docket may become part of the public record, including names, mailing addresses and email addresses. People submitting feedback should avoid including confidential or sensitive personal information. The Forest Service roadless-areas page provides links to the proposal, supporting analyses, maps and the comment portal.
Sources
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