BLM To Rescind Public Lands Rule

The change will downgrade conservation, once again putting federal land at risk for mining and other extractive uses.

1 minute read

April 20, 2025, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Close-up on BLM sign on Continental Divide Trail in Rawlins, Wyoming.

EWY Media / Adobe Stock

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced the department is rescinding the Biden-era Public Lands Rule, which sought to elevate conservation to the same importance as other uses on federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Writing in Public Domain, Chris D’Angelo explains that unlike the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies, the BLM often prioritized extractive uses over conservation.  

The law has come under fire from Republicans, some Western states, and industry interests. The rule has wide public support. “An analysis by the Center for Western Priorities found that 92% of public commenters supported the rule.”

The change could undo decades of conservation progress and threaten sensitive ecosystems and species. “In addition to the Public Lands Rule, the White House moved to eliminate a Biden-era rule that barred oil and gas development across more than 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve, on Alaska’s North Slope.”

Wednesday, April 16, 2025 in Public Domain

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