In January 2026, Sierra Club sued the Trump administration’s Department of Agriculture to stop a new rule that restricts public input on decisions affecting our public lands.
Our suit challenges the Department’s overhaul of how the U.S. Forest Service and other sub-agencies implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The NEPA process is often the only way for the public to learn about the environmental impacts of projects that affect the public lands they cherish, and to have an active voice in shaping public land management decisions. The Department’s changes, if left in place, would severely, and unlawfully, restrict public comment opportunities for logging projects, forest management plans, and other Forest Service activities, shutting communities out of decisions with lasting consequences for our shared public lands.
“Preserving the public’s right to comment on projects on public lands is not only about democracy in action—it also leads to better outcomes. Instead, the Trump administration has sought to cut out the public’s voice as it fast tracks logging, mining, oil and gas drilling, and other industrial projects for large corporations. This not only threatens some of our most treasured places—it’s against the law.”
- Nathaniel Shoaff, Senior Attorney at Sierra Club.
This lawsuit comes on the heels of a similar suit the Sierra Club joined challenging changes to the Department of the Interior’s NEPA regulations on similar grounds. Sierra Club is represented by Senior Attorneys Elly Benson and Nathaniel Shoaff in both cases.