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In a hearing Thursday morning, the House Natural Resources Committee heard testimony about the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Public Lands Rule that would allow land managers to treat conservation as one of the multiple uses of BLM land.
The four-hour long hearing was filled with bombastic predictions of doom from some members of the committee and witnesses, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who unleashed a torrent of conspiracy theories while making it clear she didn’t understand the proposal itself or even which lands in her state it would apply to. By contrast, BLM Deputy Director for Policy Nada Wolff Culver calmly took question after question and provided clear answers straight from the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the text of the proposed rule.
A new post at the Center for Western Priorities' Westwise blog takes a look at rhetoric vs. reality from the hearing. During the hearing, Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico emerged as a strong proponent of the rulemaking, directly addressing what she called “narratives and misinformation that, in my mind, is intended to scare the American people.”
“Because it’s just simply not true and much of what I’ve heard here today is just not true,” Stansbury said. “This is really about balancing the needs of our public lands.”
The Bureau of Land Management has extended the public comment period on the proposed rule to 90 days. You can add your feedback at regulations.gov through July 5th.
BLM Restoration Landscape: Cosumnes Watershed
In celebration of the Bureau of Land Management’s $161 million investment in Western landscape restoration projects, Look West is highlighting a different "Restoration Landscape" each day for 21 days. Today's landscape is the Cosumnes Watershed—the last free-flowing river from the Sierra Nevada mountains into California's Central Valley. BLM is dedicating $7.6 million to improve hydrologic function and landscape connectivity, control invasive species, and reduce hazardous fuels.
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The definition of multiple use is very clear. It includes, for example, natural, scenic, scientific, and historical values. Those are certainly aspects of conservation, as are management of habitat. I think the quote that I’ve read a few times lately comes from former governor of Idaho, Mr. Andrus, who was the secretary of the Interior when FLPMA [the Federal Land Policy and Management Act] passed in 1976. And he talked about the importance of public lands to all Americans. And said in response to the passage of FLPMA, ‘Conservation is no longer a pious ideal, it is an element of our survival.’”
