A New Rule Could Change the Way the BLM Manages Public Land in the West

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The rule change would put public land conservation projects on a level playing field with other uses like mining, grazing, and logging

By Charlie Booher | Published Apr 11, 2023

Earlier this month, the United States Department of the Interior proposed a new rule that could fundamentally change how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) makes decisions about land use, bringing conservation to the forefront. The rule would direct BLM decision makers to “protect intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and make wise management decisions based on science and data,” the proposal reads.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres, almost exclusively in the American West. The agency has been charged by Congress—through the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA)—to manage these lands for multiple uses. Historically those uses have included recreation, mining, grazing, timber, and oil and gas development. With its new rule proposal, the BLM is hoping to add conservation to that list...

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https://www.fieldandstream.com/conservation/blm-public-lands-rule/