The Trump administration announced Tuesday it is moving to repeal the Roadless Rule, a quarter-century-old federal regulation that prohibits road construction and commercial logging across nearly 45 million acres of national forest land — including close to 6 million acres in Montana.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, led by Secretary Brooke Rollins, unveiled the proposal, with a full draft Environmental Impact Statement set to appear in the Federal Register on Thursday, August 20. The public will have until September 21 to submit comments.

What the Rule Does — and What Repeal Would Mean

Enacted in 2001, the Roadless Rule has long served as one of the most sweeping protections for undeveloped national forest land in the country. In addition to Montana’s nearly 6 million protected acres, the rule shields close to 10 million acres across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Conservation groups note that roadless areas provide critical habitat for 57 percent of species of conservation concern.

Secretary Rollins framed the move as a necessary correction to address what the administration describes as overgrown and diseased forests. The administration’s position is that rescinding the national rule would restore authority to states and local communities over federal forest management decisions — a consistent theme in Trump-era land policy.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte welcomed the announcement. “Today’s long overdue decision will empower states like Montana to pursue proper forest management on federal lands with local communities in mind,” he told the Montana Free Press.

Wildfire Science Complicates the Rationale

The administration’s core argument — that roadless protections contribute to dangerous forest conditions — faces pushback from a sizable portion of the research community. More than 30 forest scientists published a letter last fall challenging that premise. Their findings indicated that wildfire ignition rates were lowest in wilderness and roadless areas over the past three decades, while lands near roads recorded the highest ignition densities. The National Interagency Fire Center has found that roughly 85 percent of wildfires are human-caused, a figure that cuts against the case for opening remote areas to road access.

The disconnect between the administration’s stated justification and the available fire science is likely to feature prominently in the public comment period and any subsequent litigation.

Legal Challenges Already Anticipated

Environmental attorneys are signaling they will not wait long to act if the rule is finalized. Jenny Harbine, a lawyer with Earthjustice, told the Montana Free Press, “If the administration finalizes this misguided proposal, we’ll see them in court.” The Roadless Rule has a lengthy litigation history — it survived multiple legal challenges over two decades — and opponents of repeal appear prepared to resume that fight.

Public Opposition Has Been Substantial

When the administration solicited public input in a prior comment period last fall, roughly 99 percent of more than 625,000 comments opposed rescission. A Pew Research survey found 76 percent of likely voters nationally support keeping the rule in place. Whether those numbers influence the final agency decision remains to be seen, but they establish the political backdrop for what is shaping up to be a high-profile environmental policy fight heading into the November election.

What Comes Next

With the Environmental Impact Statement publishing August 20, the 32-day public comment window will run through September 21. After comments close, the USDA must review submissions before issuing a final rule — a process that could extend well into 2027 even if the administration moves quickly. Legal challenges filed at or near finalization could delay or block implementation further.

For Montana, where federal land management decisions carry significant economic and cultural weight, the proposal adds another major dimension to an already active land-use debate. The state has been an eager partner in the administration’s broader push to expand timber harvests and streamline access to public lands, and Governor Gianforte’s quick endorsement signals the state is likely to support the repeal through the comment process. Conservation advocates, meanwhile, are expected to mobilize aggressively — both in the public record and, ultimately, in federal court. Montanans interested in related wildlife and habitat discussions can also follow ongoing proposals to restructure wolf quotas and bobcat caps as the state navigates competing pressures on its public lands.