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Timeline of the Roadless Rule [1]

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Date: 2026-09 

2001

* January

President Clinton issues the Roadless Area Conservation Policy directive, ending virtually all logging; roadbuilding; and coal, gas, oil, and other mineral leasing in 58 million acres of the wildest remaining undeveloped national forests lands.

The Rule is the direct result of a tremendous outpouring of public support. More than 600 public hearings were held around the nation, and the public provided more than 1.6 million comments on the Rule—more comments than any other rule in the nation's history.

January 12

The Roadless policy rule is published in the Federal Register.

* January 20, 2001

George W. Bush is sworn in as the 43rd President.

The new White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, sends a memo from the White House in late January, telling all Cabinet Secretaries to delay rules and regulations pushed into place during the final days of the Clinton administration. The Roadless Rule is one of many new policies that fall under this description.

February 5

In accordance with President Bush's Regulatory Review Plan, the roadless policy is delayed for an additional 60 calendar days. This is the result of the so-called "Card Memo" from White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card.

March 16

The administration delays the rule a second time. In response to a court challenge seeking to overturn the new rule filed by Boise Cascade Company, the State of Idaho, and others, the U.S. Justice Department "committed to postponing" implementation of the policy yet again.

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman publishes an official notice in the Federal Register, noting that the implementation date of the Roadless Rule is being delayed an additional 60 days, from March 13 to May 12.

Usually a rule will take affect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. After it takes affect, it is law and can only be overturned by either an act of Congress or an official new rulemaking process.

Unfortunately, since it caught the Roadless Rule in this 60-day window, the Bush administration could legally delay the Roadless Rule from going into effect.

March 30

The government commits to completing its review of the rule, and says it will report back to the court in Boise on May 4.

May 4

The government reports they will allow the Roadless Rule to go into effect on May 12, but would move at a later date to amend it.

* May 10, 2001

Idaho Federal Judge Edward Lodge issues a preliminary injunction barring the Rule from taking affect.

October 15

Earthjustice attorneys present oral arguments in defense of the Roadless Rule before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle. A three-judge panel hears attorney Doug Honnold argue for a lifting of the injunction currently keeping the rule from being implemented.

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[1] Url: https://earthjustice.org/feature/timeline-of-the-roadless-rule

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