Durango, Colorado — Today, the Trump administration announced it will reopen the recently finalized Rock Springs, Wyoming Resource Management Plan (RMP), a blueprint that guides the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) management of nearly 3.6 million acres of public lands in southwestern Wyoming for the next two decades. Conservation leaders criticized the move, calling it a step backward that undermines years of public engagement, Tribal consultation, and science-backed planning.  The Rock Springs RMP, finalized just months ago, reflects over a decade of collaboration between local communities, Tribal nations, state officials, and federal land managers. Over 92 percent of public comments submitted during the draft stage supported conservation efforts within the plan, and the final plan reflected 85 percent of recommendations from the Wyoming Governor’s own task force. The plan strikes a meaningful balance—protecting the wild landscapes and migration corridors of Wyoming’s Northern Red Desert while leaving two-thirds of the acreage open to oil and gas development. Below is a statement from Charlotte Overby, Vice President of Conservation Field Programs of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a national network of community advocates who are solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, including the National Conservation Lands: “Reopening a carefully balanced plan that took more than a decade to develop is a glaring disservice to the people who shaped it. The Rock Springs Resource Management Plan incorporated extensive public input, respected the work of the Governor’s task force, and reflected what science, Tribal nations, and communities have been calling for: smart, modern, and carefully balanced land stewardship. People across Wyoming and the nation care deeply about how their public lands are managed. They showed up in this process, and their voices deserve to be respected—not sidelined. “The final plan protected irreplaceable values while still allowing oil and gas leasing in areas with production potential. For example, the plan protects the Northern Red Desert region, which is a critical cultural and ecological landscape and includes vast unfenced land home to iconic wildlife migrations, some of the most intact sagebrush steppe left in the West, and cultural resources sacred to Indigenous communities. Areas of critical environmental concern were appropriately designated to protect important resources and allow public access to these beloved landscapes. Reopening this process creates uncertainty, wastes taxpayer resources, and ignores the clear consensus of the people who live, work and recreate on these lands. “It’s deeply concerning that the notice to reopen the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan was published the same morning the federal government shut down. As a result, the agency has failed to take the required next step in the planning process–an immediate example of how the shutdown is already causing confusion in land management. This timing undermines transparency and meaningful public participation.” ### Contact: Kris Deutschman, kris@conservationlands.org

Washington, DC – Earlier this week, Representative Jeff Hurd (CO-3) introduced legislation that mandates the Bureau of Land Management reissue nine finalized resource management plans for landscapes in Colorado, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming. These plans fulfill a critical component of the federal land management process and are legally required by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). They represent years of careful consideration, comprehensive environmental review, and public participation from Tribes, outdoor recreation users, scientists, conservation groups, local communities, and industry stakeholders. These management plans play a key role in stewarding public lands, ensuring responsible management for the benefit of all Americans.  Below is a statement from Jocelyn Torres, Chief Conservation Officer for the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a national network of community advocates who are solely focused on the National Conservation Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. “ Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on delays and creating unnecessary uncertainty, Congress ought to respect the people’s will and stick to the community-informed and well-balanced plans that protect our public lands, support local economies, and provide outdoor recreational opportunities. “Representative Hurd’s bill undermines extensive public input and thorough and transparent environmental assessments–all in the name of a quick and cheap industry giveaway. It’s a complete slap in the face to the majority of voters of all political affiliations in the west who love and enjoy the natural beauty of their state, who are very concerned about efforts to reduce natural areas, and who don’t support selling public lands. This bill is the opposite of what the public wants and needs.” # # # #

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — The Bureau of Land Management signed its final Record of Decision on the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, which will guide the agency’s stewardship of nearly 3.6 million acres of public land in southwestern Wyoming for the next two decades.  The BLM’s plan makes much-needed improvements to the 1997 version, culminating a decade of planning and extensive public involvement. It incorporates conservation measures supported by 92% of the public comments submitted on the draft plan, and 85% of the recommendations made by the group of local community members that Governor Mark Gordon assembled to suggest improvements.