Roadless Rule repeal will help economically struggling Alaskan communities: senators
Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are throwing their support behind the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s move to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule, a policy that’s long restricted development in large parts of the Tongass National Forest.
“The Roadless Rule has never fit Alaska, so I welcome this effort to rescind it,” Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Roadless Rule was set up in 2001 during the administration of then-President Bill Clinton.
The initiative put strict limits on road construction and logging in designated wilderness areas across the U.S., including the Tongass National Forest, which covers nearly 17 million acres in southeast Alaska.
The rule’s restrictions have long been a point of tension for Alaskans with some arguing that the majority of the Tongass is already protected under other conservation laws, and that further restrictions hinder economic growth for the small rural communities in the forest.
“Even without the rule in place, nearly 80 percent of the Tongass National Forest will still be explicitly restricted from development,” Murkowski said.
“Repeal will not lead to environmental harm, but it will help open needed opportunities for renewable energy, forestry, mining, tourism, and more in areas that are almost completely under federal control. This is particularly critical for our continued efforts to build a sustainable year-round economy in Southeast Alaska.”
‘Aligning with Trump Administration’s deregulation agenda’
The announcement came after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirmed the USDA’s plan to put aside the nationwide rule.
The action is in line with a series of initiatives introduced by the Trump administration aimed at reducing bureaucracy they argue is hindering business and innovation in the country. The first Trump administration granted Alaska an exemption from the rule in 2020, but the Biden administration reversed that in 2023.
“Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive Roadless Rule,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said on Monday.
“This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation’s forests.”
Will be a boost business: senator
Alaska’s leaders say the repeal will be a big win for the state’s small communities and economy as a whole.
“Since 2001, this rule has hindered Alaskans’ ability to responsibly harvest timber, develop minerals, connect communities, or build energy projects at lower costs—including renewable energy projects like hydropower, which are especially critical to economic opportunities in Southeast Alaska surrounded by the Tongass National Forest,” Sen. Sullivan (R-Alaska) said.
“I am grateful that the Trump administration is once again rescinding this rule to put Alaskans back in the driver’s seat to make a living, support our families, and connect our communities while protecting our lands and growing our economy.”
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Related stories from around the North:
Canada: N.W.T. forests absorb more carbon than territory emits — most of the time, CBC News
Finland: Finnish government buys naturally diverse historical island from forestry giant, Yle News
Norway: World’s northernmost coal power plant shuts down, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Arctic national park expands, becomes Russia’s biggest, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Ancient Swedish forests cut down at fast pace, Radio Sweden
