SW Arkansas Times

Last week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published guidance for its "Conservation and Landscape Health" rule, which modifies the agency's longstanding multiple-use and sustained yield mandate. Critics argue this move shifts control of federal lands to elites and environmental groups while sidelining local communities.

"With this guidance, BLM continues to threaten the Western way of life and leave local communities out of the conversation. At best, BLM’s un-elected bureaucrats are creating pointless applications and desk work and giving their radical environmentalist friends a handout; at worst, they are targeting communities and economies across the nation, killing jobs, reducing public land access, and destroying our energy independence. Committee Republicans will continue to fight the BLM’s so-called 'Conservation and Landscape Health' rule and its implementation," stated House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).

The BLM manages 245 million acres of public lands concentrated in western states. Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, its mission includes livestock grazing, energy development, timber production, outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat protection, and watershed protection.

The new rule allows BLM to lease lands under restoration and mitigation leases without Congressional authority. This could prevent current permit holders from accessing federal land if deemed incompatible with these leases. Critics claim this favors environmental organizations over local communities.

In May 2023, U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the Western Economic Security Today (WEST) Act to require the permanent withdrawal of the rule. The House passed the WEST Act in April 2024 with bipartisan support.