Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) proposed rule regarding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Since 1995, TCS has served as a nonpartisan budget watchdog dedicated to ensuring that federal resources are managed responsibly and that taxpayers receive a fair return on public assets.
The National Forest System (NFS) covers approximately 193 million acres across the United States.1 These lands are important to our rural communities and must be managed responsibly. The proposed rule would repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule), which limits road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting on approximately 44.7 million acres of NFS land.2