Research & Developments is a blog for brief updates that provide context for the flurry of news regarding law and policy changes that impact science and scientists today.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects about 45 million acres (182,000 square kilometers) of National Forest System lands from road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvests.

Of the land that would be affected by the rescission, more than 95% is in 10 western states: Alaska, Montana, California, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona. The change would not apply to Colorado and Idaho, which have state-specific roadless rules.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins first announced the USDA’s rescission of the rule on 23 June, prompting negative responses from several environmental, conservation, and native groups.

“The Tongass is more than an ecosystem—it is our home. It is the foundation of our identity, our culture, and our way of life,” said a letter from the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska to the USDA and the U.S. Forest Service. “We understand the need for sustainable industries and viable resource development in Southeast Alaska. Our communities need opportunities for economic growth, but that growth must be guided by those who call this place home.”

On 27 August, the USDA released a statement about the agency taking “the next step in the rulemaking process,” noting that the proposal aligned with several recent executive orders, including Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation and Executive Order 14153, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.

“This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America,” Rollins said in the release.

A notice of intent seeking public comment on the proposal is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on Friday, 29 August, but a preview of the document became available for public inspection on 28 August. The document suggests that the rule has posed “undue burden on production of the Nation’s timber and identification, development, and use of domestic energy and mineral resources.” Repealing the rule, the document states, would allow for local land managers to make more tailored decisions and would allow for better wildfire suppression.

“This scam is cloaked in efficiency and necessity,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans, senior director of Alaska and Northwest programs at Defenders of Wildlife, in a statement. “But in reality, it will liquidate precious old-growth forest lands critical to Alaska Natives, local communities, tourists and countless wildlife, who all depend on intact habitat for subsistence harvesting, recreation and shelter. Rare and ancient trees will be shipped off at a loss to taxpayers, meaning that Americans will subsidize the destruction of our own natural heritage.”  

The proposal will be open for public comment through 19 September.

–Emily Dieckman, Associate Editor (@emfurd.bsky.social)

These updates are made possible through information from the scientific community. Do you have a story about how changes in law or policy are affecting scientists or research? Send us a tip at eos@agu.org.

Text © 2025. AGU. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.

“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

It’s the ominous slogan for “Hotel California,” an iconic fictional lodging dreamed up by the Eagles in 1976. One of the rock band’s lead singers, Don Henley, said in an interview that the song and place “can have a million interpretations.”

For US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, what comes to mind is a key part of one of the country’s most central conservation laws.

Read full article

Comments

In a clear rebuke to US health secretary and zealous anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday released its own evidence-based vaccination schedule for children—a task typically left to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its trusted advisory committee.

The AAP has been among the most assertive medical groups to push back on the anti-vaccine tactics and actions Kennedy has undertaken as the country's top health official. Those include spreading misinformation about lifesaving vaccines; firing all 17 esteemed CDC vaccine advisors under the false pretense that they had disqualifying conflicts of interest; replacing those advisors with unqualified committee members who share Kennedy's anti-vaccine views; and unilaterally restricting access to COVID-19 vaccines without any evidence-based explanation.

Prior to the release of the vaccine schedule, the AAP boycotted the first meeting of Kennedy's hand-selected CDC vaccine advisors in June, saying the committee's work is "no longer a credible process." In July, the organization filed a lawsuit—alongside other medical groups— against the US health department over Kennedy's changes to the federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

Read full article

Comments