Dismantling the Roadless Rule threatens to disrupt wildlife, water and peace

By: Mariah Meek, Travis Belote

Outlets: Alaska Beacon

Published: August 24, 2026

Words: 1,129

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago


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Pause for a moment and listen. What do you hear? Chances are, somewhere in the background, is the ever-present hum of a road.

More than 4.2 million miles of public roads crisscross the lower 48 states – enough to reach the Moon and back almost nine times. This vast network of roads spiderwebs its way across the contiguous U.S., leaving only about 5% as an inventoried roadless area or …

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