Trump Administration Cancels Rule that Made Conservation a 'Use' of Public Lands
The repeal would restore a development-first approach on Bureau of Land Management lands after industry groups and Republican allies urged action.
- On Tuesday, the Interior Department will publish the repeal of a 2024 conservation rule that placed restoration on equal footing with development, aligning with President Donald Trump's goal to boost drilling, logging, and mining on taxpayer-owned land.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum argued the rule violated the "multiple use" mandate by prioritizing "non-use" restoration leases, a position supported by Republicans in Congress and industry groups who lobbied for repeal.
- Overseeing about 10% of U.S. land, the Bureau of Land Management regulates more than 1 million square miles of underground mineral reserves and has a long history of industry-friendly grazing permits and oil leases.
- Amid a broader push to increase fossil fuel production, Republicans in Congress recently canceled land management plans from the end of President Joe Biden's term, reopening development in Alaska, Montana and North Dakota.
- The Trump administration claims renewable energy projects were unfairly subsidized under Biden, prioritizing traditional energy sources across Western states including Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and California.
75 Articles
75 Articles
Trump Admin Repeals Land Conservation Rule
The Department of the Interior is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as President Donald Trump’s administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining, and grazing on taxpayer-owned land. The rule adopted in 2024 under the Biden administration was meant to refocus the Interior Department’s Bureau...
BLM Rule Reversal: Development Trumps Conservation Again
The Interior Department under President Trump is repealing a conservation-focused rule from Biden's administration, reverting to prioritizing development. This move supports industries like drilling and logging on public lands, attracting criticism from conservationists who argue it undermines environmental protection and the Bureau of Land Management's mission.
Idaho Capital Sun
Feds officially cancel conservation rule for public lands
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on May 11, 2026, officially rescinded a federal rule requiring officials to consider conservation in land management decisions in areas such as the Valley of Fires in south-central New Mexico, pictured above in 2021. (Photo courtesy BLM)The United States Bureau of Land Management on Monday formally cancelled the so-called “Public Land Rule,” which required the agency to consider conservation and development equ…
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