White House Scrapping Biden-Era Conservation Rule

The Trump administration is erasing a federal rule that put conservation on par with drilling and mining. On Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management will finalize its repeal of a 2024 rule that had, for the first time in the agency's history, allowed public lands to be leased purely for restoration or to offset environmental harm, reports the New York Times. The rule applied to the roughly 245 million acres managed by the Interior Department, whose secretary, Doug Burgum, complained that it prevented energy and timber production, and hurt ranchers whose animals graze on public lands, per the AP.

• In favor: Republican-led states and industry groups cheered the move, saying it clears the way for more oil, gas, coal, logging, and livestock activity. "Today, the Trump administration is embracing energy production on public lands because the resources Americans collectively own can be used for our nation's economic benefits," said Melissa Simpson, president of the Western Energy Alliance.
• Opposed: Conservation groups argue the rollback tilts public lands back toward corporate use and away from climate and habitat protections, despite public comments running roughly 98% against the repeal, according to one analysis. "By rolling back the public lands rule, the administration is admitting loudly and clearly that they think public lands are just there for corporations and for their donors to profit from," said Tracy Stone-Manning of the Wilderness Society, who led the BLM in the Biden administration.