Commissioners to oppose rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule
On Sept. 14, Teton County commissioners are set to ratify a comment letter urging USDA to pick the No Action Alternative and keep the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule in place.
Teton County’s Board of County Commissioners is set Monday to approve and submit a formal comment letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reject a proposed repeal of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and instead select the “No Action Alternative” that keeps the rule in place Roadless Rule Comment Letter.
In the draft letter, the board argues that rescinding the rule would remove a national baseline for roadless protections across “approximately 58.5 million acres,” including “approximately 315,575 acres in Teton County,” and asks the Forest Service to stick with the current framework rather than reopening it at the project and forest plan level Roadless Rule Comment Letter. The county has taken this lane before. Commissioners adopted Resolution 18-040 in 2018 to lay out a local position on Forest Service lands that tracks the roadless rule’s core approach, including limited exceptions rather than broad new road-building authority.
Background
Teton County opposes rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, citing ecological, economic, and planning risks, and urges the No Action Alternative to retain existing protections.
Latest: 2026-09-21 — Board submits a supplemental comment letter, reiterating opposition and emphasizing risks to 315,575 acres of roadless lands in Teton County.
curated as of 2026-09-12
Rescinding the Roadless Rule mid-process could destabilize the Bridger-Teton Forest Plan revision, forcing reconsideration of analyses and prolonging the process, per Teton County's warnings.
Latest: 2026-09 — Teton County Board of Commissioners formally warns that rescinding the Roadless Rule would disrupt the ongoing Forest Plan revision.
curated as of 2026-09-12
Teton County opposes a national open-access presumption and removal of minimization criteria, citing risks to local planning, resource protection, and emergency services.
Latest: 2026-09-21 — Commissioners submit formal comment letter to US Forest Service opposing national open-access presumption and removal of minimization criteria, requesting retention of current rule or equivalent protections.
curated as of 2026-09-19
Source Documents
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| September 14, 2026 | Roadless Rule Comment Letter | correspondence |