Alaska Roadless Rule

[2] Prior to the introduction of the Alaska pulp mill industry, the Southeast trees were mainly harvested for local uses such as home infrastructure and heating, then later fishing and logging populations.

[2] The start of the 1990s left southeast Alaskan communities with damaged salmon watersheds, undesirable logging roads, and a need for a new way of economic success.

[3] In January 2001, President Bill Clinton in his last few days in office issued the Roadless Area Conservation Policy ending almost all logging, mineral leasing, and road-building on 58 million acres of National Forest lands.

Upon the election of President George W. Bush at the end of January, he announced a delay of all regulations created during the final days of the Clinton administration; the Roadless Rule being one of them.

[1] Following this decision, many environmental organizations petitioned to have the Roadless Rule reinstated on the grounds that Alaska's ecosystems are vital to the well-being of all.

These alternatives were presented to the Southeast Alaska communities and were open to receive public comment at the end of the year 2019.

[8] Following his 2021 inauguration, President Joe Biden ordered all executive departments and agencies to review any federal regulations made in the previous four years that harmed the environment.