S 2042119th CongressIn Committee

Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025

Introduced: Jun 11, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-Washington)

Environment & Climate

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025 would enshrine and preserve protections for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System by ensuring that the Forest Service cannot permit road construction, road reconstruction, or logging in those areas if such activities are prohibited by the existing Roadless Rule. The bill frames this as a lasting, statutory protection within the Forest Service’s broader multiple-use management approach, aiming to maintain the social and ecological values of roadless areas while still allowing many other uses. It relies on the Roadless Rule (as it currently exists, including state-specific modifications) and does not create new restrictions beyond those already in that rule, nor does it limit uses outside inventoried roadless areas. In short, the act would lock in the Roadless Rule’s prohibitions for inventoried roadless areas, provide a clear, lasting mandate for the Forest Service to follow those prohibitions, and affirm that multiple uses can continue within roadless areas where permitted by the Roadless Rule, while protecting water quality, biodiversity, recreation, and sacred or cultural sites associated with these areas.

Key Points

1codifies lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas by prohibiting road construction, road reconstruction, and logging in those areas when the Roadless Rule prohibits such activities;
2defines “inventoried roadless area” and references the Roadless Rule (including its state-specific modifications) to set the scope of protection;
3specifies that the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forest Service, administers these protections;
4preserves the Forest Service’s multiple-use mandate and states that the Act does not impose new limitations on inventoried roadless areas or on access/use of land outside such areas;
5aims to balance protection with ongoing, permissible multiple uses, while recognizing benefits related to water quality, recreation, biodiversity, habitat, and cultural values.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Visitors and users of inventoried roadless areas (backcountry recreation, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, etc.);- Communities and watershed users who rely on clean, affordable water protected by roadless areas;- Wildlife and fish populations that benefit from undisturbed habitats and corridors.Secondary group/area affected- Forest Service and federal land management agencies responsible for implementing the Roadless Rule and the act’s protections;- Native American, Alaska Native, and other communities with sacred sites or traditional uses within roadless areas;- The timber and road-construction industries, and developers reliant on activities within inventoried roadless areas (subject to existing Roadless Rule restrictions);- State and local governments near roadless areas that rely on public lands for recreation-based economies.Additional impacts- Environmental and water quality protections may be strengthened, potentially supporting biodiversity and downstream ecosystem services;- The act emphasizes no new restrictions beyond the Roadless Rule, providing regulatory certainty for land management planning and for communities that depend on roadless-area protections;- Wildfire management implications: findings note roadless areas are often less prone to certain wildfire risks than roaded areas, with potential effects on fire strategy and fuel-treatment planning;- Road maintenance backlog and costs preserved by focusing allowed activities under existing rules; potential implications for hydropower projects, which the findings suggest could continue in a way consistent with roadless protections.

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