1. United States
2. Mont.
3. Letter

Block the Trump administration's proposed rescission of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and oppose any revision to the Travel Management Rule that expands motorized access without rigorous environmental review. These two actions are not separate — they are a coordinated push to open nearly 45 million acres of roadless national forests to industrial extraction, and they deserve to be treated as such. The Travel Management Rule was created by the Bush administration in 2005 precisely because unmanaged off-road travel was destroying watersheds, eroding soil, and creating conflicts between user groups. It manages over 380,000 miles of Forest Service roads — nearly eight times the Interstate Highway System. The official now overseeing this revision, Undersecretary Michael Boren, has spent nearly a decade in documented conflicts with the Forest Service over unauthorized construction on federal land, including an airstrip and hangar built without federal authorization. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, meanwhile, is still listed on LinkedIn as Vice President at Idaho Forest Group, one of the country's largest private lumber producers. These are not neutral stewards of public land. The Roadless Rule public comment period closes September 21. I expect you to submit formal opposition to the rescission and to demand full, transparent environmental review of any Travel Management Rule changes before a single route designation is altered.