Trump admin plans to revoke protection for 58.5 million acres of national forest

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it plans to revoke a decades-old rule that protects more

than 58 million acres of national forests from road construction, drilling, mining, and logging

The USDA, which oversees the U.S. Forest Service, intends to eliminate the roadless rule

The policy was created to preserve wilderness across roughly 30 percent of the country's

national forests. Research shows building roads can lead to harmful consequences like disruptions

to habitats, ecosystems, and contamination of drinking water. An impact report by the National

Forest Service in 2001 showed millions of people rely on drinking water from national forests

But USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins argues the rule is outdated and overly restrictive

leading to a lack of economic growth and less innovation. Rollins said in a statement Monday

Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule

She says the move is in line with recent executive orders from the president seeking to expand logging, drilling and mining across the U.S

in an effort to make America more energy independent. The Trump administration claims 28 million acres of forest protected by the roadless rule are in areas at high risk of wildfire Rollins says opening up the forest to logging also mitigates the risk of wildfires by improving forest management But environmental advocates disagree

They contend more logging, mining and drilling worsens climate change and leads to more intense wildfires

They note these processes tend to strip forests of natural protective barriers against fires

Critics also argue the move is a giveaway to the timber industry under the guise of wildfire prevention

The conservation campaign director of the non-profit Wilderness Society, Josh Hicks, argues the elimination of the roadless rule is bad news for all Americans

He said any attempt to revoke it is an attack on the air and water we breathe and drink

abundant recreation opportunities which millions of people enjoy each year, havens for wildlife, and critical buffers threatened by increasingly severe wildfire season

The logging industry, on the other hand, celebrated the USDA's decision. The American Loggers Council Executive Director says to allow access into these forests like we used to prior to 2001

and for 100 years prior to that will enable the forest managers to practice sustainable forest management

The director also says national forests are overly dense and contends the timber industry will still face restriction on the amount of trees they can log

For more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Kaylee Carey