Forest Service proposes streamlined objection process to accelerate project delivery

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced proposed revisions to the regulations governing the predecisional administrative review. Officially known as 36 CFR Part 218, the regulations are more commonly referred to as the “objection process.”

The proposed rule advances President Trump’s Executive Order 14192: Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation by consolidating and streamlining processes to increase efficiency and allow the Forest Service to more quickly carry out projects that support healthier forests and safer communities. The updates also ensure consistency with the USDA's updated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, which modernize environmental review procedures across the Department.

"These updates will ensure the Forest Service can act swiftly to deliver projects that build healthier, more resilient forests and infrastructure," said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. "The proposal maintains a responsible environmental review process, while removing unnecessary delays that have held back projects – saving time and money, while ensuring public input is considered prior to making a final decision."

The objection process applies to projects that implement forest land and resource management plans, including vegetation management, recreation and infrastructure improvements, wildlife habitat work, energy and special use proposals, and Healthy Forests Restoration Act projects.

Key elements of the proposed rule include:

• Cutting the overall objection timeline by more than 50% with shorter comment and objection periods.

• Avoiding delays in project analysis and implementation by eliminating review period extensions.

• Ensuring objections are concise and relevant through page limits and more focused content requirements.

• Expanding use of modern technology for submitting comments and objections and distributing responses.

The current objection process has been in place since 2013. Since then, Congress has made statutory changes to the process, and new NEPA procedures have created inconsistencies with the objection process regulations. This revision addresses Congressional updates, eliminates inconsistencies, and creates a more efficient process.

The public is invited to review the proposed rule at https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-02392 and submit their comments by one of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov, or   
Mail: Send written comments to   
USDA-Forest Service, Sidney Yates Building   
1400 Independence Avenue SW, 1SE   
Mailstop Code: 1124, Attn: Director-EMC   
Washington, DC 20250