The Department of the Interior is proposing to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, aligning with Secretary Doug Burgum’s commitment to restoring balance in federal land management by prioritizing multiple-use access, empowering local decision-making and supporting responsible energy development, ranching, grazing, timber production and recreation across America’s public lands.
The 2024 Public Lands Rule made conservation an official use of public lands, putting it on the same level as BLM’s other uses of public lands. The previous administration had treated conservation as “no use,” meaning the land was to be left idle rather than authorizing legitimate uses of the land like grazing, energy development or recreation. However, stakeholders, including the energy industry, recreational users and agricultural producers, across the country expressed deep concern that the rule created regulatory uncertainty, reduced access to lands, and undermined the long-standing multiple-use mandate of the BLM as established by Congress. Now, the BLM proposes to rescind this rule in full.
“The previous administration’s Public Lands Rule had the potential to block access to hundreds of thousands of acres of multiple-use land – preventing energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West,” said Secretary Doug Burgum. “The most effective caretakers of our federal lands are those whose livelihoods rely on its well-being. Overturning this rule protects our American way of life and gives our communities a voice in the land that they depend on.”
Senators and Representatives from western states hailed the decision as a move to restore multiple-use land management.
“The people of Wyoming depend on access to public lands for our livelihoods – including energy and mineral production, grazing, and recreation,” said Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. “The Biden Public Lands Rule was a direct attack on our way of life. The Trump administration is right to rescind this outrageous rule.”
“The Biden administration’s Public Lands Rule was a direct hit to the west, threatening to shut down hundreds of thousands of acres of working land and hurt the livelihoods of hardworking Wyoming families who’ve depended on these lands for generations,” said Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis. “Leftist Washington bureaucrats have worked overtime to lock up federal lands, block our energy production, hurt our timber industry, take away grazing rights, and shut out the ranchers, loggers, and energy workers who actually live in these communities and know how to take care of the land. Getting rid of this harmful rule brings back sensible federal land management and makes sure we can use our public lands for energy, ranching, timber, and recreation like we always have.”
“The Biden-era Public Lands Rule was designed to lock up hundreds of thousands of acres from multiple use and convert them to no-use,” said Wyoming Representative Harriet Hageman. “President Trump and Secretary Burgum are restoring common sense by returning management of the lands to the people who depend on them. This is a huge win for Wyoming, securing grazing rights, bolstering energy production, and protecting rural economies from overreaching, absurd mandates.”
“President Trump and Secretary Burgum are bringing back commonsense land management policies that will benefit Montana farmers, ranchers, and producers. The harmful Public Lands Rule would have blocked access to use of public lands for outdoor recreation and also would have restricted energy production, grazing, and forest management. By rescinding the Public Lands Rule and unlocking more timber sales in Montana, we’ll be better able to manage our forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires. President Trump is committed to Treasure State priorities and this is welcome news,” said Montana Senator Steve Daines.
The Interior Department says Public Lands Rule exceeded the BLM’s statutory authority by placing an outsized priority on conservation or no-use at the expense of multiple-use access, threatening to curtail grazing, energy development, recreation and other traditional land uses. Many rural communities depend on public lands for livelihoods tied to agriculture, mining and energy production. Rescinding the rule restores BLM to its legal mandate and protects these economic drivers from restrictive land-use policies. The people who depend on public lands for their livelihoods have every incentive to conserve them and have been doing so for generations—no new rule was needed to force what is already a way of life.
By proposing to roll back the Public Lands Rule, Interior is committed to no longer sidelining local voices by returning more authority back to states, counties and tribes who are directly impacted by the management of public lands. Additionally, rescinding the rule eliminates uncertainty for industry stakeholders concerning potential litigation risks and permitting delays. Consistent with Secretary’s Order 3418, “Unleashing American Energy,” the recission of the Public Lands Rule will eliminate unnecessary barriers to energy development and support the multiple-use mandate of the BLM by not prioritizing conservation over all other uses.
From the date that the Federal Register notice publishes, a 60-day comment period will open on the proposed rule rescission.
