Bill would codify Roadless Rule, which protects almost 60 million acres of America’s remaining pristine National Forest Lands
WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), along with Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Andrea Salinas (OR-06) introduced the Roadless Area Conservation Act to finally enshrine the U.S. Forest Service’s Roadless Rule protections into law.
For nearly a quarter century, the Roadless Rule has shielded 58.5 million acres of the most pristine and treasured areas within the National Forest System from roadbuilding and logging. In Arizona, the Rule protects 1,174,000 acres of Inventoried roadless Areas (IRAs).
“For decades, the Roadless Rule has been protecting over 1 million acres of forest in Arizona – providing clean air and water, supporting areas of cultural and spiritual significance to many tribes, and bolstering our vital tourism economy,” said Senator Gallego. “But unless we codify those protections into law, they will always be at risk. That’s exactly what this legislation does, and I’m proud to reintroduce it.”
“Mounting climate impacts have increased the need to protect America’s last remaining wild forestlands, which reduce wildland fire risk and store huge amounts of carbon,” Senator Cantwell said. “Roadless areas provide Washingtonians with unmatched outdoor recreation opportunities, clean drinking water for our communities, and habitat for numerous endangered species. We need to redouble our efforts to permanently preserve the benefits these public lands provide our nation and future generations.”
“In the Southwest, we know how important our wild forestlands are. They are a habitat for wildlife, they bolster clean air and water for our dry, arid climate, and provide spaces where families can connect and make lasting memories. The Roadless Area Conservation Act is a vital step in combating climate change and preserving public land for our communities,” said Representative Ansari.
“On day one, Donald Trump announced his intention to roll back bedrock environmental protections that are critical to the responsible stewardship of America’s natural resources,” said Representative Salinas. “The Roadless Area Conservation Act will ensure that longstanding, commonsense rules remain in place to protect untouched national forests without jeopardizing wildfire prevention and response.”
While the Roadless Rule enjoys strong public support and has prevailed over numerous court challenges and administrative and legislative attacks, it faces renewed threats under the Trump administration. In April, the Trump administration enacted a sweeping rollback of environmental protections across nearly 60% of U.S. national forests, including about 26 million acres of previously protected Roadless areas.
By codifying the rule into law, the Roadless Area Conservation Act would uphold recreational access to public lands, preserve the habitats of 1,600 at-risk species, reduce the risk of wildfires, aid in the fight against climate change by preserving vast carbon sinks, and safeguard watersheds that provide clean drinking water for more than 60 million Americans.
The Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025 would:
- Protect, in perpetuity, 58.5 million acres of roadless national forest in 39 states;
- Save taxpayers millions of dollars by limiting costly new road building, allow the Forest Service to focus on maintaining its existing 371,581-mile network of National Forest System roads, and reduce its multi-billion dollar backlog of deferred maintenance on its existing road system;
- Maintain the flexibility engrained in the Roadless Rule which allows for continued forest management and the construction of roads as needed.
Senator Gallego has long championed the Roadless Rule, leading the effort during his time in the House. He is proud to continue this work in the Senate.
6/12/25