Understanding the Public Lands Rule

By: Kunjal Bastola

Edited by: Connor Tooman and grace wu

On Thursday, April 18, the Department of the Interior announced the Public Lands Rule to promote the conservation of land and wildlife.[1] This rule guides the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the protection of clean water and wildlife habitats, restoration of lands and waters where necessary, and consideration of science, data, and Indigenous knowledge when making decisions.[2] The 245 million acres of land managed by the BLM are primarily used for industrial purposes, such as ranching and drilling, but this new rule allows the BLM to offer “restoration and mitigation leases” to companies intending to use the lands for conservation purposes.[3] This has the effect of putting “conservation, recreation, and renewable energy development on equal footing with resource extraction.”[4] Before this, the BLM offered leases to oil and gas companies, mining firms, and ranchers, contributing to the United States’ high amount of greenhouse gas emissions.[5] While the new rule doesn’t erase the damages done by mining and drilling on public lands, it makes some headway in mitigating those damages and potentially converting the use of public lands from environmentally harmful tactics to more sustainable uses. 

Under President Biden, the BLM has increased its focus on mitigating the effects of climate change and development, but there is more to be done. This rule has been in the works since it was first proposed in April 2023. The final rule came after a 90-day comment period during which the BLM held five public meetings and received over 200,000 comments, with the vast majority of them supporting the rule.[6] “Today’s final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement.[7] 

While this new rule is a huge step forward for environmentalists, the decision does not come without some pushback, especially from fossil fuel industry groups and Republican officials. National Mining Association President and CEO, Rich Nolan, said in a statement that “this rule will obstruct responsible domestic mining projects and compound permitting challenges, further deepening our already grave foreign mineral import reliance.”[8] John Barrasso, a Republican senator from Wyoming, calls the rule a threat to the “Wyoming way of life,” saying he plans to introduce a Congressional Review Act “to repeal this outrageous rule.”[9] 

As the debate over how to administer public lands continues, converting lands previously used for the extraction of fossil fuels to lands used for the restoration and replenishment of wildlife habitats is a huge step forward for the Biden administration and environmentalists. With droughts and wildfires running rampant throughout the country’s lands, steps must be taken to mitigate the effects of climate change before the damage it causes becomes irreversible. The Public Lands Rule is a step in the right direction, but there is still a lot more work to be done. 

Notes: 

1. “Biden-Harris Administration finalizes strategy to guide balanced management, conservation of public lands,” Bureau of Land Management, April 18, 2024, https://www.blm.gov/press-release/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-strategy-guide-balanced-management-conservation.  

2.  “Public Lands Rule,” Bureau of Land Management, Accessed May 22, 2024. https://www.blm.gov/public-lands-rule. 

3. Kiley Price, “The Biden Administration Makes Two Big Moves To Conserve Public Lands, Sparking Backlash From Industry,” Inside Climate News, April 23, 2024, https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23042024/todays-climate-biden-public-lands-conservation/. 

4. Maxine Joselow, “ The U.S. just changed how it manages a tenth of its land,” The Washington Post, April 18, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/04/18/biden-public-lands-conservation-rule/.  

5. Maxine Joselow, “ The U.S. just changed how it manages a tenth of its land,” The Washington Post, April 18, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/04/18/biden-public-lands-conservation-rule/.  

6. “Biden-Harris Administration finalizes strategy to guide balanced management, conservation of public lands,” Bureau of Land Management, April 18, 2024, https://www.blm.gov/press-release/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-strategy-guide-balanced-management-conservation.  

7. “Biden-Harris Administration finalizes strategy to guide balanced management, conservation of public lands,” Bureau of Land Management, April 18, 2024, https://www.blm.gov/press-release/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-strategy-guide-balanced-management-conservation.  

8. “New BLM Conservation Rule Will Obstruct Responsible Domestic Mining, Deepen Import Reliance,” National Mining Association, April 18, 2024, https://nma.org/2024/04/18/new-blm-conservation-rule-will-obstruct-responsible-domestic-mining-deepen-import-reliance/. 

9.  John Barasso, “Barrasso: BLM Rules Threatens Wyoming Way of Life,” April 18, 2024, https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=4B3DBFE1-45F9-4DD4-AEB4-41FD8B19CE08.  

Bibliography:

Barrasso, John. “Barrasso: BLM Rules Threatens Wyoming Way of Life.” April 18, 2024. https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=4B3DBFE1-45F9-4DD4-AEB4-41FD8B19CE08.  

“Biden-Harris Administration finalizes strategy to guide balanced management, conservation of public lands.” Bureau of Land Management. April 18, 2024. https://www.blm.gov/press-release/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-strategy-guide-balanced-management-conservation.  

Joselow, Maxine. “ The U.S. just changed how it manages a tenth of its land.” The Washington Post. April 18, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/04/18/biden-public-lands-conservation-rule/. 

“New BLM Conservation Rule Will Obstruct Responsible Domestic Mining, Deepen Import Reliance.” National Mining Association. April 18, 2024. https://nma.org/2024/04/18/new-blm-conservation-rule-will-obstruct-responsible-domestic-mining-deepen-import-reliance/. 

Price, Kiley. “The Biden Administration Makes Two Big Moves To Conserve Public Lands, Sparking Backlash From Industry.” Inside Climate News. April 23, 2024. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23042024/todays-climate-biden-public-lands-conservation/. 

“Public Lands Rule.” Bureau of Land Management. https://www.blm.gov/public-lands-rule.