Last month, more than a half-million people submitted comments on the Trump administration’s plan to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The comments—including nearly one thousand from California’s central coast region—overwhelmingly opposed any rollbacks of the rule. Several community organizations and elected officials also spoke out in favor of keeping the rule in place.
The Roadless Rule has been on the books for nearly a quarter-century and protects national forest lands from roadbuilding, logging, mining, and oil drilling. It garnered more than one million comments favoring it when it was first proposed by the Clinton administration, which crafted the rule through a two-year process that involved more than 600 public hearings across the country.
Despite the popularity of the Roadless Rule, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins began a formal process to repeal it in September. The comment period was unusually short—just 21 days—but even in this limited timeframe, a whopping 625,935 people submitted comments. Over 99 percent of the comments opposed the plan to repeal the Roadless Rule, according to an analysis by the Center for Western Priorities.
Locals Stand Strong for Roadless Areas
Here on California’s central coast, over one thousand residents submitted comments, nearly all of them in support of the Roadless Rule.
Central coast environmental organizations also weighed in. ForestWatch launched a campaign that generated over 1,500 letters urging lawmakers to support the Roadless Area Conservation Act and oppose the repeal. We also joined a coalition of conservation groups to meet with congressional offices, issued press releases to raise awareness, and published maps and fact sheets outlining what places would be lost without these protections.
ForestWatch also joined a detailed technical comment letter signed by Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Southern Environmental Law Center, The Wilderness Society, Western Environmental Law Center, and WildEarth Guardians, among dozens of other groups throughout the country. Hundreds of other organizations signed a shorter letter, including local groups like Santa Barbara Audubon Society, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Ventana Wilderness Alliance, Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society, and CFROG.
Elected Officials Support Roadless Areas
Our local elected officials also spoke with a unified voice in support of the Roadless Rule. The Ojai City Council voted in favor of a resolution supporting the Roadless Rule. Ventura County Supervisor Vianey Lopez and Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee submitted letters favoring the protection of roadless areas. Ten California state legislators—from Santa Cruz to Ventura—submitted a joint letter opposing the repeal of the Roadless Rule.
Federal legislators weighed in as well. 53 members of Congress submitted a joint letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, asking her to conduct a more robust stakeholder engagement, including extending the comment deadline, improving tribal consultation, and scheduling public hearings in affected communities near roadless areas. Locally, Senators Padilla and Schiff signed the letter, and Congressmembers Carbajal, Brownley, and Lofgren. Rep. Panetta, whose district covers the Big Sur coast, signed a similar letter earlier in the summer, prior to the beginning of the comment period. All four members of Congress are also co-sponsors of the Roadless Area Conservation Act, a bill that would memorialize the Roadless Rule as a formal regulation and override any Trump administration repeal of the Roadless Rule.
What’s Next
Before formally repealing the Roadless Rule, the Agriculture Department must prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to consider the environmental harm caused by allowing roads and development in roadless areas. The EIS must also evaluate alternatives to repealing the rule, including keeping it intact and even strengthening it. The Trump administration plans to release a draft EIS in March, and the public will have another opportunity to weigh in at that time. Final approval of the agency’s decision could come by the end of 2026.
ForestWatch and our allies will continue to highlight the importance of roadless areas in our region. When the draft EIS is released, our team will let folks in the community know how to let their voices be heard.