The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has announced a final decision to roll back a rule that put conservation as an official “use” of public lands hat had allowed for focus on ecosystem health and restoration. Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Bureau (BLM) must manage public lands for “multiple use and sustained yield” to the benefit of current and future generations. The BLM manages approximately 10% of the land area of the United States for the “use, occupancy and development” of public lands for multiple uses like mining, grazing and recreation. The BLM is tasked with ensuring the land is able to serve present and future generations. Roughly 140,000 public comments were submitted in September in response to the proposed rule. In the final ruling, officials said eliminating the 2024 rule was necessary because it “threatened to restrict productive use of the public lands and introduced uncertainty and unnecessary burdens in planning and permitting.” The BLM stated that full rescission of the public lands rule aligns the agency’s regulations with national energy policy, avoids unnecessary litigation risk and supports efficient, transparent management of public lands. The BLM also stated that this deregulatory action does not alter the agency’s authority under FLPMA to take management actions to conserve public lands and resources.
