Officials adopted the proposal over strong opposition from private industry and Republican governors. In response, Republican lawmakers announced they would seek to repeal it.
Under regulations of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management, which has jurisdiction over more than 380,000 square miles (990,000 square kilometers) of land, primarily in the western United States, public property can be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land. will be recognized. For drilling holes.
The rule also further facilitates the designation of “Area of Significant Environmental Concern,” a special status that can restrict development. Awarded to land of historical or cultural significance, or land important to wildlife conservation.
The Land Office has a history of industry-friendly policies and has been selling grazing permits and oil and gas leases for more than a century. In addition to above-ground land holdings, the agency regulates more than 1 million square miles (2.5 million square kilometers) of publicly owned underground mineral reserves, including coal for power plants and lithium for renewable energy.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the changes would “restore balance” to how the U.S. government manages public lands. Haaland said in a statement that the new rules continue the government's efforts to use science to restore habitat and guide “strategic and responsible development.”
Environmentalists largely accepted the changes adopted Thursday, characterizing them as long overdue.
Trout Unlimited President Chris Wood said conservation is already part of the Land Service's mission under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. The new rules are a “restatement of the obvious,” he said.
“We are pleased that government agencies recognize that conservation is already enshrined in the law as an important use of our public lands,” he said.
But Republican lawmakers and industry representatives blasted the move as a backdoor way to exclude mining, energy development and agriculture from government land, where leases are often cheap. They argue that the government is violating the Interior Department's “multiple-use” mandate for land by pushing “non-use” (meaning remedial leases) of federal land to prominence.
“This rule will thwart responsible domestic mining projects by making decisions that strongly favor conservation over other uses,” said Rich Nolan, president of the National Mining Association.
The rules come amid a flurry of new regulations from the Biden administration as Democrats seek reelection for a second term in November.
In recent weeks, government agencies have tightened vehicle emissions standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, finalized limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water, and increased royalty rates for oil companies drilling on public lands. I pulled it up.
About 10% of all land in the United States falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, which is at the center of debates over how much development should be allowed on public land.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, an ardent critic of Biden, said Thursday he would introduce legislation to repeal the public lands rule. The Republican lawmaker argued it would prevent access to areas that Wyoming people rely on for mineral production, grazing and recreation.
“President Biden is allowing federal bureaucrats to destroy our way of life.”
Property rights groups, which often advocate for private interests, said the rules would help encourage voluntary conservation efforts. Brian Jablonski of the Real Estate and Environmental Research Center said this would encourage ranchers and others who use public lands to work with private organizations to restore stream beds, improve wildlife habitat and remove invasive weeds. He said it would be possible to do so.
Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva of New Mexico argued that protecting public lands has broad support among Americans. Oil, gas and mining companies “have dominated our nation's public lands for far too long,” Grijalva said.
Officials said a remedial lease will not be issued if it conflicts with activity already underway on the parcel. He said private industry could also benefit from the program because companies can buy leases and restore the land to offset damage they might cause to other government-owned land.
These leases were called “conservation leases” in the agency's original proposal last year. It was changed to “restoration lease” and “mitigation lease” in the final rule, but the purpose appears to be largely the same.
The agency had previously issued leases for conservation purposes in limited cases, but had never established a dedicated program.
Commissioner Tracy Stone-Manning said the changes address the growing challenges of climate change and development. When the change was announced last year, she told The Associated Press that making conservation “equivalent” to other uses does not preclude grazing, drilling or other activities.
Former President Donald Trump sought to ramp up local fossil fuel development before President Joe Biden suspended new oil and gas leases when he took office. Biden later reinstated the agreement to win support from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, for his 2022 climate change bill.
