Eight Southeast Alaska Native tribes want the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop working on a plan to rollback the Roadless Rule for the Tongass National Forest.<\/p>\n
Tribal leaders delivered a letter this week asking Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, to halt rulemaking work and tribal consultation for a plan that would exempt 9.2 million acres of the Tongass National Forest from a federal rule prohibiting tree harvest and road construction.<\/a><\/p>\n The letter cited governments straining to meet demands created by COVID-19 as well as the inability to meet in person as reasons for the request for a rulemaking pause on the Roadless Rule exemption.<\/p>\n “Communities are using all existing resources to prepare and address this health crisis.” All of these restrictions make it extremely challenging, if not impossible, to engage in the federal rulemaking,” states the letter signed by leaders from Hoonah Indian Association, Organized Village of Saxman, Organized Village of Kasaan, Klawock Cooperative Association, Craig Tribal Association, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and Ketchikan Indian Association.<\/p>\n