Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Interior proposes a new rule similar to one Congress blocked in 2017
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Friday, November 6, 2026
Nine Mile Canyon Area of Critical Environmental Concern, Utah. Bureau of Land Management, Flickr ([link removed])

The Trump administration is proposing ([link removed]) to rewrite the Bureau of Land Management’s land use planning regulations to “cut unnecessary red tape” and speed up decisions on public lands.

Among other provisions, the update aims to shrink Areas of Critical Environmental Concern ([link removed]) , which are public lands where special management attention is required to prevent irreparable damage to natural resources and historic, cultural, or scenic values.

The announcement does not mention Planning 2.0, the planning rule the BLM finalized ([link removed]) in 2016. Congress overturned Planning 2.0 in 2017 using the Congressional Review Act, and President Trump signed the resolution ([link removed]) into law. Under the CRA ([link removed]) , an agency cannot issue a new rule that is “substantially the same” as a disapproved one unless Congress specifically authorizes it, making this attempt to modernize BLM's planning procedures legally questionable.

Planning 2.0 was designed to address ([link removed]) complaints that the planning process had become “too slow and too unresponsive to the public.” It updated planning terminology, revised the provisions for designating Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and restructured where in the process the public could weigh in. While the Interior department hasn’t published the text of the new planning rule, it appears to be similar in scope to Planning 2.0. It would also update planning terminology, revise Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and “ensure public input occurs at the most meaningful stages.”

The proposed rule will publish in the Federal Register next week, followed by a 60-day public comment period.

Public lands were a winning issue in the 2026 midterms

In a new Westwise blog post ([link removed]) , Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Lauren Bogard describes how Democrats and Republicans across the West ran on their support for public lands. Examples include Eric Barlow, the Governor-elect of Wyoming who denounced ([link removed]) the sale of public lands while on the campaign trail, and Sam Forstag, the U.S. Representative-elect from Montana who got into the race because public lands faced a “full-scale assault. ([link removed]) ”


** Quick hits
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A reckoning is coming for Trump's handling of America's national parks

SFGATE ([link removed])

Column: Why Martin Heinrich sold out public lands

More Than Just Parks ([link removed])

Key federal panel expected to approve Trump's arch

PBS ([link removed]) | NBC News ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed])

Trump signs proclamation making Oval Office, Cabinet Room national monument

The Hill ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | CBC ([link removed]) | USA TODAY ([link removed]) | People ([link removed]) | ABC News ([link removed]) | Reuters
([link removed])

Trump to restrict protection of sensitive areas on public land

Bloomberg Law ([link removed])

Jared Huffman announces bid for Natural Resources gavel

Politico Pro ([link removed])

Trump may come to regret his rush job on the arch and ballroom

The Atlantic ([link removed])

Democrats' big win clouds the permitting picture

Axios ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” This was a wave election, and no single issue decided it. But the pattern was consistent: in the West, candidates embraced pro-public lands positions, and rejected efforts to privatize or sell them to the highest bidder.”

—Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Lauren Bogard, Westwise ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@nationalparkservice ([link removed])
POV: You have a 4:30 p.m. meeting after daylight saving time.

Let me light this lantern. If anyone needs me, I’ll be conducting this meeting by candlelight. Please speak up so I can hear you over the sound of the crickets.

And if you’re looking for something to do after 4:30, your national parks have plenty of options: catch a sunset, enjoy an evening stroll, look for wildlife, or settle in for some stargazing. The sun may be clocking out early, but there’s still plenty of daylight-adjacent adventure to be had.

NPS Photos

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