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A new statistical analysis of more than 150,000 public comments finds nearly universal support for the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, colloquially known as the Public Lands Rule.
The Center for Western Priorities performed a sentiment analysis on a random sample of 10,000 public comments submitted to regulations.gov, which found 92 percent of the comments encouraged the Interior Department to adopt the Public Lands Rule as written or strengthen its conservation measures. 4.5 percent of comments encouraged the department to withdraw or significantly weaken the rule. Another 3.5 percent of comments did not express a clear opinion in support or opposition to the rule.
“This analysis shows overwhelming—though not surprising—levels of support for the Biden administration’s conservation agenda,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director at the Center for Western Priorities. “Americans know that public lands are central to the Western way of life, and that they will play a pivotal role in the nation’s response to the climate crisis. The support expressed during the comment period shows that the BLM is on the right track to restoring balance across the West.”
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Why the Department of the Interior would even contemplate turning over cultural sites considered sacred by Indigenous peoples for development is beyond our comprehension. And if this parcel were developed, which would be quite difficult, it would dramatically change the scenic entry to historic Bluff.”
