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The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) recently released draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for millions of acres in southwest Wyoming is generating an unusual amount of attention for a public lands agency planning document, including a recent write-up in the New York Times.
The bureau is recommending a more conservation-focused approach for 3.6 million acres that will update the plan currently in place. In part, the updated plan will prioritize wildlife habitat and movement, which will require closing some portions of the region to energy development, a fact that has attracted the ire of several Wyoming elected officials, including Representative Harriet Hageman, who is introducing legislation to prevent the RMP from being implemented, claiming, “the Rock Springs RMP poses an existential threat to Wyoming’s recreation and energy industries.”
As Jonathan Thompson recently pointed out in a High Country News story, the Rock Springs RMP is actually intended to fulfill the BLM's multiple-use management objective—the draft RMP proposes designating 1.6 million acres as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, increasing protections for areas important to eight Tribal nations, closing about 2 million acres to new oil and gas leasing and hardrock mining claims, while still leaving 99 percent of the planning area open to livestock grazing, 1.4 million acres would still be open to oil and gas leasing and development, over 200,000 acres open to coal leasing, and just under 2 million ares open to oil shale and hardrock mining.
In response to the unprecedented interest in the RMP, the Wyoming Outdoor Council held a meeting in Pinedale to explain what's in the RMP and how to submit public comments. Meghan Riley, public lands and wildlife advocate for the group, suggested individuals should "focus on what matters to you, and share your personal connection to the lands, resources and uses of interest to you." The BLM extended the public comment period for 60 days. Comments on the draft RMP can be submitted until January 17, 2024.
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Laura Daniel-Davis is the obvious and well-qualified choice for the number two spot at Interior. She has the experience and deep knowledge of the challenges facing America’s public lands today, and as an existing member of Interior’s top leadership team, she will be able to step into the deputy secretary’s office with ease.”
