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The Biden administration proposed a major shift in public lands management on Thursday, announcing a draft rule that would consider land conservation and restoration to be a use of public lands on par with other uses such as grazing, mining, and oil drilling. The proposed Public Lands Rule would direct land managers to identify priority landscapes for protection and restoration and use funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for restoration projects.
The rule would also formalize the practice of “conservation leasing” for land restoration or protection, clearing a path for durable compensatory mitigation agreements with extractive industry as part of the permitting process. It also takes the concept of measuring landscape health, a process that currently only applies to grazing, and applies it to all renewable resources, bringing consistency and the best science to land management practices across the Bureau of Land Management. The proposed rule also requires BLM offices to engage in meaningful consultation with Tribal nations during the decision-making process and incorporates Indigenous Knowledge into land management practices.
“For too long, BLM’s multiple use mandate has failed to properly consider the value of conservation, recreation, and cultural protection,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director at the Center for Western Priorities. “This proposed rule would bring long-overdue balance to millions of acres of American lands.”
“Kudos to BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and all of the staff that worked to put this rule together,“ Rokala added. “We look forward to a robust public comment process and encourage President Biden to ensure this rule is finalized within the next 12 months.”
House passes bill to boost Big Oil
As the Interior Department was rolling out its proposal to bring land management practices into the 21st century, the House of Representatives was passing a bill to turn back the clock on public lands. H.R. 1 would repeal the oil and gas leasing reforms passed last year in the Inflation Reduction Act, which eliminated non-competitive leasing and raised the royalty rate that drillers pay when extracting publicly-owned oil and gas.
The bill is considered dead on arrival in the Senate, and the White House has said President Biden would veto H.R. 1 if it made it to his desk.
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As the nation continues to face unprecedented drought, increasing wildfires and the declining health of our landscapes, our public lands are under growing pressure. It is our responsibility to use the best tools available to restore wildlife habitat, plan for smart development, and conserve the most important places for the benefit of the generations to come. As we welcome millions of visitors to hunt, fish and recreate on our public lands each year, now is the time to improve the health and management of special places.”
