A new rule aims to strengthen the resilience of public lands to climate change. That’s what Utah wants to fight.

The Bureau of Land Management oversees nearly 23 million acres of land in Utah used for grazing, oil and gas, mining and logging. On Thursday, the agency issued a rule that would treat conservation the same as commercial use in an effort to build resilience to climate change.

The Bureau of Land Management said the new public lands rules restore balance to public lands across the country by protecting land health, establishing restoration and mitigation leases and clarifying protections for areas of critical environmental concern. The final rule affects one-tenth of the United States.

Conservation groups applauded the provision, saying it fills a gap in the agency’s current efforts to carry out responsibilities outlined in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. It should have been documented years ago.

But industry representatives and Utah politicians say the change poses a threat to their way of life and livelihoods.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said in a statement that Utah has a long and successful record of working with local Bureau of Land Management offices to protect and restore its public lands. Increased red tape and federal bureaucracy in BLM’s public lands rules creates new barriers to conservation efforts. The health of Utah’s lands and wildlife will suffer as a result.

The governor said Utah plans to challenge the new rules in federal court soon.

Restoration and Mitigation Lease

Under this new provision, the agency will be able to lease degraded public lands for restoration.

For example, the Bureau of Land and Natural Resources could lease an area to an environmental nonprofit or conservation area to restore wildlife habitat. Companies that lease public land for development can also offset their impacts through one of the leases; oil and gas companies can apply for mitigation leases to protect recreational areas during their development projects.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, these restoration and mitigation leases will not conflict with already established authorized uses on public lands.

Utah elected officials, ranchers, miners and some recreationalists worry this type of lease would dislodge them from Bureau of Land Management lands.

This new rule [grazing] Troy Henry, southern regional manager for Utah Farm Bureau, said lifestyle and industry are integrated. In Utah, without public lands, people die.

Senator Mike Lee agrees: Utahns have proven themselves to be exemplary stewards of these lands, and they are better equipped to manage them than the unelected bureaucrats in Washington. This misguided rule will hinder critical projects like mineral extraction and deal a heavy blow to small, family-owned businesses that rely on Bureau of Land Management land rights.

Rep. John Curtis agreed that public lands rules would threaten Utah’s way of life, adding that restoration and mitigation leases would allow private companies to exploit public lands.

It benefits wealthy individuals and environmental groups by allowing them to lock up land that belongs to all Utahns, Curtis said in a statement.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 directs the Bureau of Land and Natural Resources to take all necessary actions to prevent unnecessary or inappropriate degradation of public lands.

The law also requires the agency to manage public lands in a manner that protects the qualities of scientific, scenic, historic, ecological, environmental, air and atmosphere, water resources and archaeological value.

Under the Public Lands Rule, the agency’s ability to manage public lands for multiple uses—mining and other uses—depends on the overall health of the ecosystem.

Opponents argue that the Bureau of Land Management already incorporates conservation standards into mining industry regulations.

“I disagree that conservation on public lands is not a priority,” said Ben Burr, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Alliance, a nonprofit off-road and recreation advocacy group. Its priority is high. There is no imbalance there that needs to be balanced with this new rule.

areas of serious environmental problems

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, known as ACEC, are public lands designated by the BLM as requiring additional protection and special management. ACECs are unique; some may protect watersheds, while others may contain cultural resources.

In Utah, for example, the Bureau of Land Management has designated Valley of the Gods within Bears Ears National Monument an ACEC.

Steve Bloch, legal director of the nonprofit Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said in a statement that as much of Utah’s red rock region faces dire consequences of climate change, the The rules will help keep conservation top of mind as the Bureau of Land Management does its work.

The Public Lands Rule directs the Bureau of Land and Natural Resources to prioritize and identify additional ACECs, emphasizing that these areas protect intact landscapes and enhance ecosystem resilience.

Rikki Hrenko said such an important area of ​​the American West would likely meet the criteria for an intact landscape, which could lead to restrictions prohibiting multiple uses that would only penalize those who invest in conservation, multiple use and Responsible developers who improve these lands.

The final rule asserts that these measures do not prioritize conservation over other uses of public lands.

The final version of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule will soon be published in the Federal Register. The rules will take effect 30 days after being published, but opposing countries and organizations have said they will challenge them in court.