Executive orders limiting off-road vehicle access to federal lands signed by Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter have been revoked by
Trump Opens Federal Lands To More Off-Road Vehicle Use
By Kurt Repanshek
May 30, 2026
Executive orders limiting off-road vehicle access to federal lands signed decades ago by Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter have been revoked by President Donald Trump, drawing concerns over possible impacts to Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands and perhaps some in the National Park System.
Trump, however, in his executive order issued Friday evening said his predecessors' actions were overly burdensome and no longer needed today thanks to technological advances. The Republican also said the two orders impeded resource development and extraction from federal lands.
"These vague, subjective criteria often result in barriers to energy and timber production and utility maintenance, permit delays, and de facto bans on hiking and other forms of recreation that require accessing remote areas, all while doing little to benefit multiple use of Federal lands," wrote Trump.
Executive Orders 11644 and 11989, passed in 1972 under Nixon and 1977 under Carter, respectively, "require federal land managers to plan for ORV use to protect resources and other recreational uses," noted the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). "Specifically, the executive orders require that, when designating areas or trails available for ORV use, the agencies locate them to:
(1) minimize damage to soil, watershed, vegetation, and other resources of the public lands;
(2) minimize harassment of wildlife or significant disruption of wildlife habitats; and
(3) minimize conflicts between off-road vehicle use and other existing or proposed recreational uses of the same or neighboring public lands."
But Trump said the orders "are difficult for agencies to operationalize due to vagueness, and include 'minimiz[ing] harassment of wildlife or significant disruption of wildlife habitats,' minimizing 'conflicts between off-road vehicle use and other existing or proposed recreational uses . . . taking into account noise and other factors,' and ensuring that off-road vehicle use in given locations will not 'adversely affect [the location’s] natural, aesthetic, or scenic values.' These vague, subjective criteria often result in barriers to energy and timber production and utility maintenance, permit delays, and de facto bans on hiking and other forms of recreation that require accessing remote areas, all while doing little to benefit multiple use of Federal lands."
SUWA staff said Friday evening that Trump's order will increase pressure on wildlife and visitors trying to enjoy public lands without ORVs.
