Conservation groups slam USDA plan to strip forest protections
Environmental groups are protesting the Trump administration’s new proposal, released Tuesday, to repeal the “Roadless Rule” and open up 44 million acres of national forests to new roads, commercial logging and mining.
Forests are known to provide important wildlife habitat and play a role in filtering and storing water from snowmelt.
John Zablocki, national director of river protection for the environmental advocacy group American Rivers, said in California, the watersheds for the Inyo and Angeles national forests alone provide drinking water for more than 4.5 million people.
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“In California, you've got 9,667 river miles that flow through inventory roadless areas and it's over 1,100 watersheds, and there's 10.9 million people, more than a quarter of the state's population, that are getting their water from those areas,” Zablocki outlined.
Zablocki added when roads are built, they increase sediment in rivers, raising the cost to treat water while putting more pressure on utility bills for customers. The Shasta-Trinity, Sequoia and San Bernardino national forests, which are popular for hunting and fishing, also include huge tracts of inventoried roadless areas.
Federal officials said the rule is a “one-size-fits-all restriction” that has frustrated land managers. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins argued the new roads would allow better access for crews to thin trees to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
David Moryc, senior director of river protection for American Rivers, pointed out the fire risk actually goes up in such a scenario.
“The science shows that more roads equals more fire and there are already exceptions and active management allowed on roadless areas, including for wildfire treatment,” Moryc emphasized.
Moryc called on the federal government to reverse funding and job cuts made over the last 18 months so the agency can aggressively treat forests and improve their health and water quality. The USDA is taking public comment on the rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule now through September 19.
