Press Release

September 09, 2026

Midwest Groups Seek More Time for Public Input on Roadless Rule Repeal

Roadless Rule protects 170,000 acres of wild federal forests in the Midwest

The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) and 21 environmental and conservation groups across the Midwest region submitted a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting more time for public hearings and comments regarding the U.S. Forest Service’s misguided proposal to eliminate the Roadless Rule protecting 46 areas of Midwest National Forests comprising more than 170,000 acres of wild public lands. The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects a total of 44 million acres of wild federal forests nationally from destructive road building and logging and facilitates outdoor recreation that contributes millions of dollars to local economies.

The letter submitted to the USDA comes on the heels of 164 members of Congress – including one Republican – who signed onto a letter to the Trump administration last week opposing the repeal of the Roadless Rule. The letter’s signatories called for robust public meetings and more time to enable Americans to weigh in on a wildly popular rule that is considered a cornerstone of public lands conservation.

The lack of public hearings and short 30-day written public comment period slated to end September 21 currently offered for the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule stands in stark contrast to more than 400 public meetings that were held before the Forest Service adopted the rule in 2001. The letter from Midwest groups urges the Forest Service to extend the comment period to 120 days, consistent with the agency’s prior practice. Additionally, a coalition of Illinois environmental groups, including ELPC, called on Illinoisians yesterday to submit comments to the Forest Service to protect the Shawnee National Forest’s roadless areas.

Statement by Kelly Thayer, Senior Policy Advocate, Environmental Law & Policy Center

“The protected roadless areas in Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest, Michigan’s Ottawa National Forest, South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest and across the Midwest’s National Forests could become chopped up by roads and logging projects if the Trump administration follows through with this action. We join our partners urging people across the Midwest to speak up for these last few wild and wonderful public lands. Such a major change to our National Forests demands more time and opportunity for the public to engage. We submitted a joint letter on behalf of our organization and 21 partners to the Forest Service asking for 120 days to comment and for public hearings that will ensure we all have a chance to be heard about protecting these Midwest Roadless Areas.”

Roadless Rule areas protected in the Midwest’s National Forests include:

• The Bay Creek, Burden Falls, Burke Branch, Clear Springs, Eagle Creek, and Ripple Hollow roadless areas in Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest (10,666 acres)
• The Mogan Ridge roadless area in Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest (8,435 acres)
• The Delirium, Fibre, Government Island, and Round Island roadless areas in Michigan’s Hiawatha National Forest (7,846 acres)
• The Bear Swamp roadless area in Michigan’s Huron-Manistee National Forest (3,915 acres)
• The Norwich Plains roadless area in Michigan’s Ottawa National Forest (4,360 acres)
• The Big Island, Elmwood Island, and Potato Island roadless areas in Minnesota’s Chippewa National Forest (77 acres)
• The Baker–Homer–Brule Lakes, Baldpate Lake, Brule Lake–Eagle Mountain, Cabin Creek, Hegman Lakes, Kawishiwi Lake to Sawbill, Little Indian Sioux, Mississippi Creek, Moose Portage, Phantom Lake, South Kawishiwi River, Tait Lake, and Wood Lake roadless areas in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest (61,726 acres)
• The Beaver Park roadless area in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest (5,009 acres)
• And the Chase Creek, East Torch, Flynn Lake, Foursection, Gates Lake, Le Roy Creek, Moose, Pentoga Road, Perch Lake, Round Lake, Shelp Lake, Shoe Lake Islands, Peters Dome, Tea Lake, Thornapple, and Wheeler Lake Islands roadless areas in Wisconsin’s Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (68,981 acres).