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The Roadless Rule is back — and we are in the middle of a 30-day public comment period that closes September 21st.

Katie Johnson — Campaigns and Engagement Manager for The Conservation Alliance — returns to the podcast to break down what's happening and exactly what you can do about it.

This is not a West Coast issue. The Roadless Rule protects 60 million acres of national forests in 37 states — and if the full repeal moves forward, 45 of those million acres could be opened to road construction, logging, mining, and industrial development.

In this episode: — The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and its three alternatives — including why the "modified" Alternative 3 still takes away 38 million acres — Why opponents call the rule inflexible — and why the rebuttals matter — The existing road maintenance backlog problem: there's no funding to maintain what we already have — Roads as wildlife barriers: migration corridors, breeding, fragmentation — Who gets impacted: gateway communities, tribal nations, thru-hikers, Triple Crowners, breweries, and everyone who drinks water — The Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail: all have sections in inventoried roadless areas — 25,000 miles of trail at risk. 750 miles of whitewater access potentially affected. — How to submit a public comment in two minutes — and why aiming for a million matters

The Conservation Alliance has a pre-filled comment form ready. Link in show notes and bio. Deadline: September 21st.

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