Public comment period extended for proposed repeal of Roadless Rule in Tongass

Published 8:30 am Monday, September 21, 2026

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the public comment period for the proposed rule and environmental study repealing the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

The proposed rule, which would remove protections against logging and associated roadbuilding from approximately 9 million acres in the Tongass National Forest and nearly 45 million acres nationwide, was filed on Aug. 18. The original comment period was scheduled to close on Sept. 21 and will now be extended by 15 days, with a new deadline of Oct. 6.

Municipalities, conservation groups, and tribes have criticized pubic process and called for continued protections for irreplaceable old-growth forests, while the USDA stated that the rule has restricted road constriction and limited the Forest Service’s ability to carry out critical active management work within inventoried roadless areas.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called the restrictions “outdated” and said that the forests can’t afford another decade of inaction that has led to preventable conditions such as overgrown stands, insect outbreaks, and disease, that have turned healthy landscapes into tinderboxes.

The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and various local groups have sought to defend roadless protections on the Tongass, stating that the rescission would remove safeguards against industrial logging and roadbuilding from almost half the forest, and would also add approximately 190,000 acres to an inventory of lands that is suitable for timber production.

Public comments will be accepted at regulations.gov. The USDA has elected not to hold public meetings.