PRESS STATEMENT: New England conservation organizations praise Rep Pingree (D-ME) and Senators Sanders (I-VT), Welch (D-VT), and Blumenthal (D-CT) for co-sponsoring the Roadless Areas Conservation Act

The Roadless Areas Conservation Act would strengthen existing protections for approximately 260,000-acres across the White and Green Mountain National Forests in NH and VT, and approximately 60-million acres of National Forests, nationwide

Inventoried Roadless Areas that would be protected by the Roadless Areas Conservation Act stretch to the horizon from this viewpoint in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest. These environmentally-critical areas include such iconic landscapes as Mt Moosliauke (where this photo was taken), the Kinsman Range (left center), and Franconia Ridge (long ridge across center of photo).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 12, 2025

MEDIA CONTACTS

Zack Porter, Standing Trees, zporter@standingtrees.org, 802-552-0160

Michael Kellett, RESTORE: The North Woods, kellett@restore.org

Alyssa O'Brien, Protect Ancient Forests, alyssa@protectancientforests.org

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Representative Pingree (D-ME), Sen Sanders (I-VT), Sen Welch (D-VT), and Sen Blumenthal (D-CT), along with 32 other co-sponsors, introduced the Roadless Areas Conservation Act, which would strengthen existing protections for approximately 260,000-acres of "Inventoried Roadless Areas" (IRA's) across the White and Green Mountain National Forests in NH and VT, and about 60-million acres of National Forests, nationwide. Many of the areas that would benefit from the legislation lie along the immensely-popular Long Trail and Appalachian Trail corridors, which host thousands of visitors, annually.

"Today is a great day for any New Englander who loves our White and Green Mountain National Forests," commented Zack Porter, Executive Director of Standing Trees, a Vermont-based organization that works to protect and restore New England's state and federal public lands. "Standing Trees and our partners could not be more grateful for the leadership of Rep Pingree, Sen Sanders, Sen Welch, and Sen Blumenthal. We hope other members of New England's congressional delegations will join them as co-sponsors of this essential legislation."

Little Rock Pond, accessed by the Long Trail in the White Rocks National Recreation Area of the Green Mountain National Forest, benefits from protections afforded by the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Safeguards for the White Rocks National Recreation Area would be strengthened with passage of the Roadless Areas Conservation Act.

Inventoried Roadless Areas are the wildest portions of America's National Forest System and include many of the nation's most recognizable landscapes. In New England, IRA's currently protect such iconic places as Vermont's White Rocks and New Hampshire's Franconia Notch, Mt Chocorua, and a large portion of the Presidential Range, to name just a few areas.

Inventoried Roadless Areas are powerhouses for biodiversity, water quality, flood risk reduction, and carbon storage. Roadless areas provide more than 60 million Americans with clean drinking water, including all or portions of 354 municipal watersheds from coast to coast. And they provide irreplaceable habitat for more than 2,100 threatened, endangered, or sensitive animal and plant species.

New England's two National Forests harbor a total of approximately 450,000-acres of Inventoried Roadless Areas. About 260,000 of these acres (depicted in purple on this map) are currently protected by the 2001 Roadless Areas Conservation Rule and would receive additional protections from the Roadless Areas Conservation Act. Inventoried Roadless Areas that would remain unprotected appear in teal. Congressionally-designated Wilderness areas are in yellow.

In 2001, in the waning days of the Clinton Administration, the US Forest Service finalized the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, protecting approximately 60--million acres of federal land from most road building and timber harvest, while allowing a wide range of motorized and non-motorized recreational activities. More than 1.5 million Americans submitted comments in support of the "Roadless Rule," a record that has held ever since. In the ensuing decades, the Roadless Rule has come under repeated threat of repeal. The Roadless Areas Conservation Act would help to strengthen existing safeguards for Inventoried Roadless Areas by upgrading their protection mechanism from an administrative rule - which can be undone by an anti-environment Presidential administration - to an act of Congress, which can only be undone by another act of Congress.

The Roadless Rule has also been a great deal for taxpayers. The US Forest Service manages 371,581-miles of roads, more than any other state or federal agency. Currently the Forest Service has a more-than 3 billion dollar road maintenance backlog, which the Roadless Rule helps to alleviate by preventing additional road construction and reconstruction in remote, sensitive areas.

"Rep Pingree and Sens Sanders, Welch, and Blumenthal deserve high praise," said Alyssa O'Brien of Maine-based Protect Ancient Forests. "The clearest path to recovering New England's long-lost old-growth forests is permanent protection for a greater portion of public lands, beginning with Inventoried Roadless Areas in our National Forests."

"Public lands are cherished by Americans of all stripes, regardless of political party affiliation," added Michael Kellett of RESTORE: The North Woods, which has offices in both Maine and Massachusetts. "The Roadless Area Conservation Act is an important step towards ensuring that our wildest and healthiest public lands will remain that way for generations to come."

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