1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Pass the Roadless Area Conservation Act. Senators Cantwell and Gallego, along with Representatives Ansari and Salinas, have re-introduced RACA to make the Roadless Area Conservation Rule permanent — and with the Trump administration moving to repeal it, Congress needs to act now. Forty-five million acres of intact forest are on the line, and without permanent statutory protection, every acre is vulnerable to logging, drilling, and mining interests the moment a rule gets rewritten. These forests protect drinking water, store carbon, support thousands of miles of trails, and are central to the cultural survival of Indigenous communities. The Tongass alone is one of the largest temperate rainforests on Earth. Forests that took thousands of years to develop cannot be rebuilt once they're gone — that's not hyperbole, it's ecology. Corporations don't bear that cost. Communities do. The administration has already hollowed out the Forest Service, opened protected lands to drilling, and floated selling public lands outright. Regulatory rules can be reversed by the next administration; a law cannot. Passing RACA is the only way to put these lands permanently beyond the reach of extractive industry. Vote yes.