Local Politics · Lincoln County
Lincoln County Commissioners Back Rescinding Federal Roadless Rule
Lincoln County Commissioner Mel Shumway confirmed the county commission sent a letter to federal officials supporting Alternative 2 of the 2001 Roadless Rule, which would rescind nationwide prohibitions on road construction and timber harvest in national forests. Shumway said rescission would allow local ranger districts in the Bridger-Teton National Forest to plan roads for wildfire mitigation, logging, habitat management, water projects, and search-and-rescue access, subject to existing environmental reviews. The forest contains approximately 3.2 million acres of roadless land, with about 1,500 miles of mapped roads and roughly 24,000 acres of inventoried roadless areas. Shumway emphasized no immediate construction would follow rescission, stating the process still requires local planning, funding decisions, and environmental review.