Sierra Club is reporting that the Trump administration has taken steps to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which could put nearly 45 million acres of national forest land at immediate risk. It said the Department of Agriculture initiated the move, potentially opening some of the nation's wildest remaining public lands to road construction, clear-cutting and industrial extraction.
The organization said this decision threatens America's last intact wild places, posing an irreversible loss for wildlife, clean drinking water and future generations. It noted the administration is moving forward despite more than 600,000 public comments, 99% of which supported full Roadless protections.
Sierra Club said the administration claims this deregulation will address wildfire concerns, but it argues that science indicates new roads bring human activity that sparks more wildfires. It described the action as a "corporate giveaway." The Sierra Club is mobilizing supporters and aiming to gather 1 million public comments to protect these forests.