Forest Service Notice and Comment Procedures

Current understanding

To be populated as evidence accumulates.

Evidence log

• 2026-05-21 — To provide that the final rule titled “Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation” and issued on January 12, 2001 (66 Fed. Reg. 3244) shall have no force or effect and require the Secretary of Agriculture to construct certain roads on National Forest System lands, and for other purposes.: 2026 — HR7695 (introduced) would strip the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule of legal force and require certain road construction on NFS lands by statute, bypassing the notice-and-comment rulemaking process that established the roadless rule and setting a precedent for legislative displacement of Forest Service public-participation procedures. (novelty: 2) (novelty: 2)
• 2025-03-06 — Fix Our Forests Act: cross-connection with fix-our-forests-act: NEPA streamlining and expanded categorical exclusions under the Act would alter the scope and timing of Forest Service notice-and-comment for covered fireshed projects. (novelty: 3)
• 2026-03-24 — Forest Resources Accountability Act: 2025 — Forest Resources Accountability Act (S. 4180) introduced in 119th Congress and referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; potential relevance to Forest Service procedural accountability pending review of bill text. (novelty: 2)
• 2025-12-17 — New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act: Tangentially related: proposed Land Grant-Mercedes Cooperation Act would require Forest Service to establish an MOU with the New Mexico Land Grant Council governing authorization procedures for traditional uses on National Forest System lands, a parallel process to standard public participation channels. (novelty: 3)

Open questions

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