Administration's Repeal of Public Lands Rule Fast-Tracks Liquidation of Public Lands
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 11, 2025
Contact: Kris Deutschman
916-425-7174
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration repealed the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (Public Lands Rule), the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) rule confirming that conservation is on equal footing with extractive uses, like oil and gas drilling and mining.
Below is a statement from Chris Hill, CEO of 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.
“Public lands are the people’s lands and this move is another strategy to gaslight the public and ultimately give these lands away. They’ve stripped away the tools that ensure conservation is a core mandate on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
“The Bureau of Land Management is required by law to balance multiple uses for the benefit of the public. Instead, this move gives the administration greater leeway to ignore the health of our country’s lands, water sources, wildlife habitats, and ways of life and it locks the public out of their favorite places to hike, fish, and camp with their families.
“The Public Lands Rule brought balance to the management of the country’s public lands and waters in the U.S., and is overwhelmingly popular: 92% of public comments submitted during the robust public comment process supported it. And the vast majority of Westerners across the political spectrum want their elected officials to protect more clean water sources and wildlife habitat, and provide more opportunities to visit and recreate.
“Simply put, this is just another move towards privatizing the public’s lands. The Conservation Lands Foundation will continue working tirelessly with local communities and lawmakers to ensure existing laws are followed to safeguard the health of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the public’s access to them.”
About the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The BLM manages nearly 250 million acres of public land–one in every 10 acres of land in the United States and approximately 30 percent of the nation’s minerals. These lands are managed for a variety of uses, including energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting, while also ensuring the conservation of the country’s remaining natural, historical, and cultural resources.
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