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The Western Arctic represents one of the most exceptional and climate-critical landscapes in the world, yet there are aggressive efforts to open this fragile ecosystem to polluting fossil fuel development.

Today, the Bureau of Land Management initiated the first step of a policy update that is expected to amount to sweeping changes and attempts to strip protection of the country’s remaining natural wilderness areas.

The resolution, which essentially erases years of local and Tribal input and puts Congress in charge of the national monument in southern Utah, is now subject to a 60-vote threshold for passage should it be considered in the Senate.

Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, which protects more than 48,000 acres of Southern Nevada’s Mojave Desert, was expanded by nearly 9,300 acres with the signing by President Trump of the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act (H.R. 972).

Today’s approval by the U.S. Senate of Steve Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management brings alarming indications for the future stability and durability of public land protections.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 11, 2026 Contact: Kris Deutschman kris@conservationlands.org 916-425-7174 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration repealed the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (Public Lands Rule), the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) rule confirming that conservation is on equal footing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. ####

Leaders from the affordable housing and public lands communities today unveiled a joint principles framework rejecting the fallacy that selling off America’s public lands is a solution to the housing affordability crisis, while highlighting the need for real, equitable housing solutions.

The Department of the Interior’s Proposal Provides Only 7 Days to Weigh-In