U.S. Sen. Heinrich decries committee’s ‘backdoor’ vote to repeal ‘Roadless Rule’ in national forests

A legislative repeal allows the USDA to bypass its administrative process, including public comment, in removing federal forestland protections.

By: Patrick Lohmann

Outlets: Source New Mexico

Published: June 10, 2026

Words: 422

Last Updated: 1 day, 7 hours ago

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A United States Senate committee on Wednesday voted along party lines to add a legislative repeal of the “Roadless Rule,” which protects roughly millions of acres of federal forestland from road construction and timber harvesting, to a previously bipartisan bill aimed at wildfire reduction.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said that the “last-minute” amendment seeks to bypass the public’s opposition to the rule’s repeal. …

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