This bill would put the existing “Roadless Rule” into law to give lasting protection to inventoried roadless areas in our National Forests. It tells the U.S. Forest Service not to allow new road building, rebuilding, or logging in places where the Roadless Rule already bans those activities. The goal is to keep these areas mostly natural to protect clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation, while still allowing many multiple uses where they fit. Many kinds of recreation, including hiking, camping, fishing, and even mountain biking, can still happen in many of these areas. It does not add new limits outside roadless areas or block access to other lands. The bill says these protections help communities save money on water treatment, support local recreation economies, and reduce risks linked to roads, while not stopping things like hydropower projects that can still be developed under current rules.

Key points:

• What changes: The Roadless Rule’s protections are written into law; no new roads, road rebuilds, or logging where the Rule already forbids them.
• Who is affected: People who rely on clean water; outdoor users like hikers, hunters, anglers, and mountain bikers; Tribes with sacred sites; forest-dependent communities; and forest managers.
• What stays allowed: Many forms of recreation and multiple-use activities that fit the Rule; access to other public, State, or private lands is not newly limited; hydropower can still be developed where allowed.
• Why it matters: Roadless areas protect drinking water, wildlife, and local recreation jobs, and they avoid adding to an already costly backlog of road maintenance. Wildfires are also less likely in roadless areas than in roaded areas.

When these protections would take effect is not specified in the text, but the stated purpose is to provide lasting protection within the National Forest System.