A federal proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule could strip protection from 28,500 acres in Millcreek Canyon and the Central Wasatch.

Public comments on the proposal close Tuesday, Oct. 6, at regulations.gov. The plan, first reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, would eliminate a rule that has restricted road construction, logging and mineral extraction on National Forest land since 2001.

The Central Wasatch Commission said the repeal would open land in Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, Millcreek and Parleys canyons to road development and timber harvest. The commission unanimously passed a resolution opposing the rescission on Oct. 7, 2025.

Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini, who chairs the commission's board, said in that October 2025 statement that the Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act (CWNCRA) is the best path forward because the canyon could continue to face threats like the proposed rollback.

The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule covers more than 44 million acres of National Forest land nationwide. It restricts road construction, logging and mining while still allowing hiking, biking, fishing, hunting and backcountry skiing. The Trump administration says the change would improve wildfire mitigation, increase timber harvests and give local entities more say over federal land management.

Jack Stauss, executive director of Save Our Canyons, said the repeal would leave canyon lands vulnerable to shifting political priorities. "Flip-flopping every four years between what layers of protection [an area has] and, subsequently, what management policies come along with that, just makes it harder for all of us to do our work," Stauss told the Tribune.

Save Our Canyons is pushing for Congress to pass the CWNCRA. The bill would create a congressionally designated conservation area covering the Cottonwood Canyons and Millcreek Canyon, providing permanent roadless protection no future administration could undo by rule change alone.

The Forest Service's own draft environmental impact statement acknowledges that roads, even recreational ones, "create more opportunities for more human disturbance in areas that were previously less accessible."

The issue drew a crowd in May. More than 130 people attended a Save Our Canyons public hearing at the Millcreek Commons Grandview Room, where a panel of watershed, wildfire and recreation experts discussed the proposal.

In an earlier 21-day comment period on the rescission, more than 624,000 responses were submitted. The Central Wasatch Commission reported that 99% opposed the repeal. The current comment window closing Tuesday is a separate period.

Residents can submit comments at regulations.gov by searching document number FS-2025-0001-223869 before Tuesday, Oct. 6.