Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

36 CFR Part 294

RIN 0596-AD66

Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation

AGENCY:

Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION:

Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA or Department) is extending the public comment period for the proposed rule titled

Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation,

published in the

Federal Register

on August 20, 2026 (91 FR 53827). The notice of proposed rulemaking invited public comment on the proposed rule, the associated draft environmental impact statement, and cost benefit analysis, which were published simultaneously. The original comment period is scheduled to close on September 21, 2026. The Department is extending the comment period by 15 days to allow the public additional time to submit comments. The new deadline for comments is October 6, 2026.

DATES:

Comments on the proposed rule published August 20, 2026 (91 FR 53827), must be received by October 6, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Comments, identified by RIN 0596-AD66, should be sent via one of the following methods:

•

Electronically (preferred):

Through the Federal eRulemaking Portal,

https://www.regulations.gov,

identified by docket number FS-2025-0001 or RIN 0596-AD66. Follow the instructions for sending comments; or

•

Mail:

Hardcopy letters must be submitted to the Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination, 201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108, Washington, DC 20250-1124.

Comments should be confined to issues pertinent to the proposed rule, should explain the reasons for any recommended changes, and should reference the specific section and wording being addressed, where

possible. All timely comments, including names and addresses when provided, will be placed in the record and will be available for public inspection and copying. Comments may be viewed on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at

https://www.regulations.gov.

In the search box, enter “RIN 0596-AD66” and click the “Search” button. For this reason, please do not include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you send an email comment, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available for public viewing. Please note that if your comment includes a standard confidentiality disclaimer—like the automatic notices added to some emails—we will still treat your comment as public and may make it available for anyone to read. A summary of this rule may be found through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at

https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joshua White, Acting Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination, at the following phone number: 202-205-0650. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may call 711 to reach the Telecommunications Relay Service and provide the phone number of the person named as a point of contact for further information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On August 20, 2026, the Department published in the

Federal Register

a proposed rule titled

Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation

at 91 FR 53827. The proposed rule would rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule by removing and reserving 36 CFR part 294, subpart B. The notice of proposed rulemaking invited public comment on the proposed rescission, the associated draft environmental impact statement, and cost benefit analysis.

The original comment period is scheduled to close on September 21, 2026. The Department is extending the comment period by 15 days, until October 6, 2026, to provide interested persons additional time to review the proposed rule and supporting materials and submit comments. The Department will consider all timely comments received by October 6, 2026, in developing any final rule and supporting analyses.

Stephen Alexander Vaden,

Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

[FR Doc. 2026-18648 Filed 9-10-26; 8:45 am]

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