The Trump administration has announced plans to withdraw the Biden-era “Public Lands Rule,” which made conservation an official use of federal lands but was criticized by ranching and agricultural groups as treating conservation like a “no use.”
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opened a 60-day public comment period on the proposal, saying the rule exceeded its authority and could have blocked access to millions of acres used for grazing, mining, energy development, timber harvest, and recreation.
The decision to rescind the rule has drawn strong support from farm, ranching, and industry groups that sued to block it in 2024. Organizations such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sheep Industry Association, and the National Mining Association said the rule unfairly restricted productive use of federal lands and excluded rural voices from land management decisions.
Photo Credit: The USDA
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