American Falls FFA students stage mock court in State Affairs hearing on roadless‑rule rescission

Members of the American Falls FFA presented a mock court to the Senate State Affairs committee, framing both sides of the debate over the USDA's 2001 Roadless Rule rescission and prompting substantive exchanges on tribal consultation, wildfire risk and local economies.

Liliana Cardona, who introduced herself as the student judge, opened the mock court with a framing question: "Are we protecting the land or locking it away?" She described the rule as once protecting about 58,500,000 acres from road construction and logging and said the exercise required students to research and present both sides equally.

The prosecution argued the rescission undermines environmental protection and tribal consultation. In opening remarks the student prosecuting counsel said the repeal "undermines environmental protections, diminishes tribal consultation, and elevates profit over stewardship." The prosecution called Councilwoman Lizzie Povey of the Nez Perce Tribe, who said the rule had protected sacred watersheds and that meaningful consultation requires consent and partnership rather than notice after decisions are made: "For the Nez Perce people, these lands... hold our stories," she said, warning that mining runoff "desecrates memory and history."

The defense called Dr. Riley Thompson, identified in the exercise as the USDA Forest Service deputy director, who said the 2001 rule "imposed uniform restrictions across 58,000,000 acres without considering regional ecology" and argued that rescission restores local flexibility to reduce hazardous fuels and support targeted thinning and prescribed burns.

Gabe Taylor, called by the defense as a timber and resource economist, testified that expanded access could create local jobs and revenue that fund schools and services, estimating national projections of "up to 50,000 new jobs" tied to expanded timber and mineral access while maintaining that sustainable forestry can support local economies.

Prosecution witness Dr. Edwin Fortinelle, a fire ecology and recreation expert, countered that roads introduce ignition sources and cited the value of outdoor recreation for the economy. Cross‑examinations highlighted trade‑offs: funding bottlenecks, percentages of roadless acres proposed for harvest historically, and long‑term implications for recreation and tribal resources.

Committee members commended the students. Senator Shippey told the group, "I think these folks won the argument, in my opinion," and Senator Toews said his own views shifted after hearing both sides. The students described months of preparation and daily in‑class practice.

The mock court concluded without a formal ruling; the students and their adviser, Mark Badia, received praise from members of the committee before the meeting adjourned.