Roadless areas of the Los Padres National Forest still face the threat of being developed after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) concluded the first public comment period as it considers rescinding a conservation rule that’s been around for nearly 25 years.
On Sept. 19, the USDA closed public comment on rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule that restricts roadmaking and industrial logging on 58 million acres of land nationally. Public input on the matter was open for 21 days, receiving criticism from multiple Central Coast leaders and environmental organizations for being an “abnormally short” amount of time.
“The comment period was remarkably short, lasting only three weeks. It is common for public comment periods on proposed federal rules to last from 30 to 90 days,” the Sierra Club said in a Sept. 19 statement.
Los Padres ForestWatch Director of Conservation and Research Bryant Baker told New Times this was the shortest public comment he’d seen.
“When you consider how big of a proposal this actually is—this is a really massive effort, a big rollback in terms of regulations that we’re talking about—and for us to only get 21 days to comment on it, … I don’t think it does the issue justice at all, right? It doesn’t. It doesn’t really speak to how important it is and how much land this could really affect.”
Approximately 600,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest would be threatened in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara counties if the Roadless Rule were rescinded, including 37 roadless areas and 349 miles of hiking and recreation trails.
Baker said he was unsure whether there would be any more public comment periods on the matter though, since the Trump administration moves quickly.
“It’s very hard to say though because one of the things that this administration has been trying to do is speed up any sort of environmental review process for virtually any project. They’re trying to make those really, really fast,” he said.
A USDA spokesperson told New Times via email that it’s more important than ever to repeal the Roadless Rule, especially for fire safety.
“Roads improve access for wildland firefighting when timing is critical, and lives are at risk. … The lack of maintenance and access have frustrated land managers for years, including firefighters who haven’t been able to reach fires in time to slow their spread,” they said. “It’s also important to note that fire can be beneficial for forest ecosystems. … Road access allows for more prescribed burning and other treatments that change fire behavior, transforming catastrophic conditions into low-intensity fires that are more easily managed, lower risk, and beneficial for the landscape.”
But Central Coast Caucus members, including Assemblymembers Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), disagree and submitted a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins during the public comment period urging the federal government to uphold the Roadless Rule.
Addis told New Times via email that the purpose of the caucus is to advocate for what the local communities and environment need.
“The Roadless Rule is critical in protecting our forests from logging, mining, and other immediate threats posed by a federal administration that is too often putting profits over people,” she said. ∆
This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2025.