Rep. Vasquez Condemns USDA’s Monumental Attack on Public Forests, Vows to Fight to Protect Public Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On August 27, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) condemned the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) latest efforts to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule as an attack on America’s public lands.

“The Roadless Rule provides Americans with unique experiences in our nation’s wildest lands, where wildlife thrives and the backcountry meets wilderness. The Roadless Rule should be kept intact to protect special places like the Gila and Tongass National Forests — places that deserve to be left wild for the next generation,” said Vasquez. “I’ll do everything I can to follow the bipartisan conservation legacy of those who have conserved these places and fight attempts to develop our nation’s wildest lands and rivers.”

On August 27, the USDA announced it had taken a step toward rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule by opening a public comment period. The proposed rollback of the 2001 Roadless Rule jeopardizes nearly 58 million acres of undeveloped backcountry forestland managed by the U.S. Forest Service, comprising around a third of the territory in our national forest system. 

For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has protected our public land by preventing industrial logging, road construction, and other development. This rule has preserved thousands of miles of trails and other outdoor recreation access, keeping vital habitats intact, and ensuring that all Americans have clean water. After the USDA signaled its intent to repeal this rule in June, Vasquez championed H.R. 3930, the Roadless Area Conservation Act. 

###