Some states and industry groups have sued to stop the Bureau of Land Management from enforcing the new rule, which promotes the conservation and restoration of public lands and shifts focus away from extractive uses.
A coalition of tribal, community, and environmental groups filed a motion to help preserve the federal Bureau of Land Management’s public lands rule after the rule was challenged by states and industry groups reluctant to give up extraction rights on federal lands in several lawsuits.
Today, roughly 90 percent of BLM lands are open to oil and gas leasing. The public lands rule, passed earlier this year, elevates conservation to the same priority as other uses. According to an article from WildEarth Guardians, “The rule upholds the Bureau’s mission to manage public lands for conservation as both the trustee of federal public lands for the benefit of the American people and the regulator of federal public lands uses, according to WELC experts, eight state attorneys general, and 27 law professors. Valid existing rights to graze, mine, and drill will not be affected by the rule’s core provisions.”
Conservation mechanisms and tools included in the rule include “increased Area of Critical Environmental Concern designation, identifying and preserving intact landscapes, instituting widespread land health standards, undertaking restoration planning, and creating a new leasing program focused on restoration and mitigation.”
FULL STORY: Third legal intervention filed to defend federal public lands conservation rule from lawsuits
Key Wins for Conservation in 2024
The year brought some important victories to advocates for public lands, national monuments, and the reclamation of Indigenous history.
More States Push Back on BLM’s Conservation Rule
Twelve states and industry groups are supporting Utah’s lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management, arguing the agency can’t bar extractive uses on ‘unappropriated’ public lands.
Grand Teton Foundation Races to Fundraise — or Lose Key Wildlife Corridor
Wyoming could sell a currently protected parcel of land, key to elk and other hoofed mammal migration paths, to private developers.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service