Chris Wood, TU President and CEO on Rescinding the Ruleless Rule and the Impact of Data Centers

Perhaps no one is better qualified to talk about the Roadless Rule than Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service in the years the rule was developed and implemented. And now TU is fighting to keep the 2001 common-sense practice in place to protect America's best fishing for wild, native trout and salmon. Not only do these roadless, headwater areas contain the last strongholds of native trout, they have some of the best hunting in America. And they provide cold, headwater flows for the bigger rivers close to roads. Chris Wood and Ross Purnell also tackle the issue of data centers and Trout Unlimited's new policy paper on them. If you want to know how the country's largest coldwater conservation organization is working to take on the most important threats of 2026, you need to listen to this podcast or watch the YouTube version shot on location at TU headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.