Texas Public Policy Foundation
Over the past several decades, the Left has been engaged in a relentless project of slowly closing off the American Frontier to recreationists, and to motorized recreation in particular. Under the Biden Administration alone, 2,978 miles of wilderness roads, two-track, and single-track (motorcycle) trails were permanently closed by career bureaucrats working in conjunction with “conservation” groups.
These closures tend to happen in the most boring way possible, though documents titled “Decision Record” and “Travel Management Plan.” They are often supported by administrative records that stretch to tens-of-thousands of pages. They are, in a word, mind-numbing, and that is the point. Most Americans do not have the time or wherewithal to pay attention—much less understand—what is happening. But the result of these grinding bureaucratic campaigns is profound: an ever-shrinking inventory of trails for people who want to explore our vast public lands.
This is an important, if under-reported, aspect of the Green New Deal and the “30×30” campaign that was endorsed by President Biden. When “conservation” organizations talk about “protecting wilderness,” what they really mean is closing our public lands to everyone except hikers and backpackers.
But America’s public lands belong to everyone. Part of the American Dream is the opportunity to become explorers and adventurers in this nation’s vast and beautiful wildernesses. The ability to take family and friends into the wild for a Jeep trip, dirt bike ride, or extended overlanding journey is cherished by tens of millions of Americans. It is woven into our national psyche and our national culture. And we have been using our public lands, responsibly, for decades.
That is why they remain beautiful and desirable places to visit. This ground truth is contrary to a common fiction that motorized recreationists are destroying public lands. In reality, the motorized recreation community cherishes a lonesome trail, beautiful campsite, or stunning vista just as much as someone who hikes in on foot. When the rare bad actor does step out of line, the community is largely self-policing and will report and repair any damage.
That is why the Biden administration’s 2023 closure of hundreds of Moab Jeep trails created a national uproar. These places are precious to people. They represent an opportunity for everyone, regardless of income level or physical ability, to become adventurers and explorers. Working together, the Trump administration and Republican Congress can unleash a grand re-opening of these lands to every American and reverse the damage of the Left’s organized campaign to close them forever.
Here’s how:
First, instruct the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to prioritize recreation when deciding whether to keep roads open. This is consistent with congressional intent in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. That legislation instructs agencies to prioritize “recreation and human use” of public lands, but agencies have been ignoring this directive for decades. This has resulted in a ratcheting effect of closure decisions whereby more roads are closed every year.
Second, eliminate the “roadless rule,” which was promulgated by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2001 and prohibits timber harvesting, road construction, and road reconstruction on inventoried roadless areas unless specific conditions are met, effectively preventing new roads from being constructed on over 58 million acres of land. Not only does this rule keep these lands locked away from recreation, it also inhibits effective wildfire management of such areas. Roads allow recreationists to explore wilderness areas, brush to be cleared by machinery, and new wildfires to be fought more effectively.
Third, pass legislation to permanently recognize existing roads and trails as resources that cannot be closed by agencies, absent an obvious and compelling need to do so. There are two proposed bills that will do this. The first bill is the Historic Roadways Protection Act, which would prevent the Bureau of Land Management from using its limited funds to implement road closures decisions from the Biden Administration. The second bill is the Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act, which would require agencies to maintain a specific level of road density on public land to ensure that Americans with disabilities aren’t excluded from the many benefits of outdoor recreation on public lands.
Fourth, the Trump Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress and the Supreme Court need to reverse the restrictive national monument designations created through the abuse of the Antiquities Act. This action needs to be accompanied with permanent reform of the Antiquities Act that will prevent future presidents from locking up public land through overreaching executive action. President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are off to a good start with order requiring reviews of abusive monument designations. Congress has reintroduced the Ending Presidential Overreach on Public Lands Act. And U.S. Supreme Chief Justice Roberts has signaled his concerns that the Antiquities Act has created an expansive and amorphous power with no discernible limits.
It is past time that the recreational interests of ordinary Americans be prioritized by the agencies that control our public lands. For far too long, that control has been concentrated in the hands of people with one agenda: to close, close, and close some more, all in the name of “protecting” wilderness from we unworthy humans. Instead of this anti-human agenda, let the Grand Re-Opening of our public lands commence. The steps outlined above are a good place to start.
Matt Miller is a senior attorney at the Texas Public Policy Foundation
Ben Burr is the executive director of the BlueRibbon Coalition
The Texas Policy Institute and GraniteGrok.com are members of the Associated News Service.
Authors’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Submit Op-Eds to steve@granitegrok.com
Together We Make a Difference – Please donate to the ‘Grok to keep the content coming.
