06.24.25

Hoeven Statement After USDA Rescinds Roadless Rule

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which impacts the Little Missouri National Grassland. Hoeven has been working with USDA Secretary Rollins and other senior USDA officials to help ensure better access to lands managed by USDA in North Dakota, including for grazing and energy production.

“Rolling back the restrictive roadlesss rule is an important step in helping to ensure access to the grasslands and putting decision-making back into the hands of locals who know best how to manage these lands. We appreciate Secretary Rollins and USDA for working to rescind this rule and to provide more local control over our federal lands,” said Hoeven. “This deregulation is an important step as we continue working with USDA to ensure section line rights-of-way are respected in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.”

Hoeven continues working with USDA on grassland management issues, including:

  • Working to resolve the dispute between North Dakota and the USFS regarding section lines in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.
    • Hoeven has made clear to USDA officials that section line rights-of-way are critical for enabling ranchers to access cattle grazing on USFS lands.
  • Coordinating with local ranchers and rural fire departments on wildfire management.

  

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