Gov. Josh Stein joined thousands of North Carolinians and countless others across the country today in submitting official comments protesting the Trump administration's plans to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
The threat to rescind what's popularly called the Roadless Rule ignores millions of Americans who supported the rule's creation in 2001 and have forcefully opposed the rescission plan since it was proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture a year ago. The public comment period ends at midnight Tuesday.
"We're grateful that Governor Stein shares the love countless North Carolinians feel for the irreplaceable Roadless areas in our national forests – including the Nantahala, Pisgah, Croatan, and Uwharrie national forests," said Chris Herndon, Chapter Director of the N.C. Sierra Club. "His understanding of the importance of these unspoiled areas should be a model for our federal leaders, who are rejecting common sense and the will of the people by threatening Roadless areas across the country."
Hundreds of people turned out this year for a series of Roadless Rule support rallies in western North Carolina co-sponsored by the N.C. Sierra Club.
Stein's letter cited rescission's potential impact on water quality and the tourism economy, and the additional pressures it will place on the U.S. Forest Service's existing $8 billion infrastructure maintenance backlog. He also noted the overwhelming public support for the Rule and opposition to its removal.
"Over the past 25 years, the Roadless Rule has demonstrated that flexible protections for high-quality, intact forest ecosystems are effective, widely supported, and essential for responsibly managing forests that welcome current and future generations," Stein wrote. "Rescinding the rule would harm North Carolina’s tourism industry and undermine decades of conservation and preservation efforts."
Rescinding the Roadless Rule will threaten nearly 45 million acres of undeveloped backcountry forestland managed by the U.S. Forest Service nationwide, including more than 172,000 acres in the Pisgah, Nantahala and Croatan national forests in North Carolina. The majority of these areas lack any protection other than their Roadless status, and will be at risk of logging and destructive roadbuilding if it's eliminated. They include popular areas for hiking, hunting, fishing and other recreation, and places where some of the last undisturbed rich, biologically diverse habitats survive.
About Us: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with tens of thousands of members and supporters in North Carolina. We help people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, and work to promote clean energy, protect wildlife, safeguard the health of our communities, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action.