Farmers, ranchers, and others are challenging a policy change that puts conservation on the same footing as other land uses.
Farming, ranching, and other interests are banding together to sue the Bureau of Land Management over its public lands conservation rule, which elevates conservation to the same level as other uses of public land.
“The BLM has argued that the rule is necessary to protect public lands against biodiversity loss, pollution from industrial uses, the worsening impacts of climate change and more,” Gabe Castro-Root explains in Bloomberg Law. The BLM says conservation does not necessarily preclude other uses (for example, building transmission lines across conserved land).
The groups involved in the lawsuit argue that “The rule improperly interprets ‘use’ to include ‘non-use,’” preventing other uses. “The rule is ‘substantially the same’ as a 2016 ‘Resource Management Planning’ rule that Congress overturned using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) in 2017, according to the lawsuit.” States including Utah and Wyoming have filed similar lawsuits.
FULL STORY: Industry Groups Sue US to Block Public Lands Conservation Rule
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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.
BLM Grazing Lands Largely Fail Health Assessment
Grazing lands under the agency’s management are not meeting its own criteria for ecosystem conservation and sustainable use.
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.
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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.
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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.
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