Patagonia Slams White House Move to Axe ‘Roadless Rule’, Urges Public to Weigh In

September 16, 2025

Patagonia publicly called out the Trump administration in an open letter published in a Time magazine column this month. The company’s CEO, Ryan Gellert, voiced the company’s opposition to a White House proposal to overturn the “Roadless Rule.” The column urged the public to weigh in against rescinding the rule during the comment period, which closes after this week.

This conservation rule, in place since 2001, limits new roads, timber harvest, and development across 58.5 million acres in 37 states. At the time, it was approved after 600 public meetings and sweeping support from a large majority of comments.

Now, the Trump administration aims to overturn the landmark conservation achievement, impacting 45 million acres of public lands, after a 3-week comment period that ends this Friday, Sept. 19. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), rescinding the rule will help address wildfires and encourage responsible forest management. Gear Junkie