Rep. Hageman Pushes to End Protections for Roadless Forest Areas and Build New Access Roads
This bill is currently in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committees. Nothing has happened with this proposal since February 2026, which is a period of four months. It is not moving forward at this time.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Many roadless areas in National Forests contain culturally significant sites, traditional hunting and gathering areas, and sacred lands for tribal communities. Opening these areas to road construction could disrupt or damage irreplaceable cultural resources and diminish the wilderness character that supports traditional practices. While environmental reviews are still required, the loss of blanket roadless protections removes a key safeguard for these lands.
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
The USDA is weighing rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, potentially opening tens of thousands of acres in North Carolina to road development. Supporters argue it allows flexibility for wildfire mitigation, while critics say it threatens water quality and the outdoor recreation economy.
A proposal to rescind the 2001 law protecting 58.5 million acres of public land faces intense opposition in Oregon. Critics highlight that 99% of public comments favored keeping the rule, which protects critical watersheds and recreation areas from logging and mining.
Former U.S. Forest Service employees argue that the Roadless Rule is flexible enough to allow for wildfire mitigation without permanent road construction. They warn that repealing the rule would increase maintenance backlogs and harm wildlife habitats like those of the bull trout and elk.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To provide that the final rule titled "Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation" and issued on January 12, 2001 (66 Fed. Reg. 3244) shall have no force or effect and require the Secretary of Agriculture to construct certain roads on National Forest System lands, and for other purposes.
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