Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Commenters overwhelmingly oppose Public Lands Rule repeal
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Tuesday, November 11, 2025
King Range National Conservation Area in California. Bob Wick/BLM ([link removed])
Yesterday was the final day of the 60-day public comment period for the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, more commonly known as the Public Lands Rule ([link removed]) . A new analysis ([link removed]) by the Center for Western Priorities found that 98 percent of public comments oppose the rule's rescission. Finalized in 2024, the rule put conservation, ecosystem restoration, and public access on equal footing with extractive uses like mining, drilling, and grazing, following through on the principle of “multiple use” as intended by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ([link removed]) .
The Public Lands Rule has had broad public support since it was proposed during the Biden administration. During the public comment period for the proposed rule in 2023, CWP found that 92 percent of comments supported the rule ([link removed]) .
“Westerners have once again spoken with one voice in support of our public lands,” said CWP's Deputy Director Aaron Weiss ([link removed]) . “Conservation is a core use of our public lands, and everyone who lives, works, and recreates on and near public lands knows it.”
Nearly 60 legislators signed a letter ([link removed]) to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum yesterday in opposition to the proposed rule recission. The letter stated that ([link removed]) “by providing an updated framework in which grazing, energy development, recreation, timber, wildlife, watershed protection and conservation can all be sustained together, the Public Lands Rule follows the law established by Congress almost 50 years ago and ensures that BLM lands continue to provide a balance of benefits for present and future generations.”
** Quick hits
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Americans overwhelmingly oppose repeal of Public Lands Rule
E&E News ([link removed]) | Colorado Newsline ([link removed]) | Center for Western Priorities ([link removed]) [analysis]
States face federal deadline today for a Colorado River agreement
E&E News ([link removed]) | Denver Gazette ([link removed]) | CalMatters ([link removed])
Shutdown deal puts RIF sword back into scabbard, for now
E&E News ([link removed])
Opinion: What happens to our parks when rangers disappear?
Writers on the Range ([link removed])
New bus shelter ads call attention to impacts of cuts on national parks
National Parks Traveler ([link removed])
Can labor unions save the National Park Service?
Outside ([link removed])
Trump pardons runner who trespassed on closed Grand Teton trail
Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])
Wyoming wolf captor pleads not guilty, trial set for March
WyoFile ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” People from all over the world come to experience our national parks and monuments because this country has been wise enough to preserve our magnificent landscapes, wildlife, and history. Yet here we are witnessing a deliberate effort to mismanage our national parks by depriving them of the very people and funding needed for their upkeep.”
—Alex Johnson, Southwest Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association, Writers on the Range ([link removed])
** Picture This
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[link removed]
@coparkswildlife ([link removed])
This trail is going the distance, but it’s not about speed.
Rimrock Trail at Castlewood Canyon State Park is about slowing down, taking in nature, and being in it for the (long-ish) haul. At 4.8 miles round-trip and moderately difficult with 512 feet of elevation gain, including some steep sections, it’s quite the journey. But the effort is well worth it with rockin’ views of the canyon and the surrounding area.
Find more details and plan your adventure with our COTREX app at the link in our bio 🥾
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