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A new proposed rule from the U.S. Forest Service would eliminate some environmental reviews and limit public participation when oil companies want to drill inside America's national forests. According to the Forest Service, the rule is designed to make policies at the Department of Agriculture, which houses the Forest Service, align with the Interior Department, which houses the Bureau of Land Management and controls federal mineral rights.
During the Trump administration, the Bureau of Land Management, which has operated without a Senate-confirmed director, replaced its conservation-focused mission statement with one focused exclusively on extraction and economic development.
Under the proposed Forest Service rule, forest managers would no longer be allowed to consider climate impacts or protect specific wild places, such as Montana's Badger-Two Medicine or Colorado's Thompson Divide, which both saw years-long fights to protect fragile ecosystems and ensure public access.
Storymap: How 30x30 helps wildlife corridors
An extensive new storymap from the Center for Western Priorities highlights the ways that the "30x30" proposal to protect 30 percent of America's land and water by 2030 is crucial to restoring wildlife migration corridors for big game species, including mule deer and elk. Learn more here.
Look West will return after Labor Day.
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This misguided rule is an affront to hunters and anglers, as well as the world class outdoor recreation values we share in Montana. While we should be working to improve our National Forests for fish and wildlife, the Trump Administration continues to prioritize special interests, wants to reduce public participation in the leasing process and open more precious public land to oil and gas development.”
