By MATTHEW BROWN (Associated Press)
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration finalized a new rule for managing public land that aims to give conservation an equal standing with oil drilling, grazing, and other industries on large government-owned properties.
Officials moved forward with the proposal despite strong opposition from private industry and Republican governors .
The rule from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management — which oversees over 380,000 square miles (990,000 square kilometers) of land, mainly in the U.S. West — will allow public property to be leased for restoration in the same manner as oil companies lease land for drilling.
The rule also encourages the identification of more “areas of critical environmental concern” — a special status that can limit development. It’s given to land with historic or cultural significance or that’s important for wildlife conservation.
The land bureau has a history of industry-friendly policies and for more than a century has sold grazing permits and oil and gas leases. Along with its surface land holdings, the bureau regulates publicly-owned underground mineral reserves — such as coal for power plants and lithium for renewable energy — across over 1 million square miles (2.5 million square kilometers).
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the changes would “restore balance” to how the U.S. government manages its public lands. The new rule continues the administration’s efforts to use science to restore habitats and guide “strategic and responsible development,” Haaland said in a statement.
But Republican lawmakers and industry representatives criticized the move as a backdoor way to exclude mining, energy development, and agriculture from government acreage that’s often inexpensive to lease. They argue the administration is violating the “multiple use” mandate for Interior Department lands, by elevating the “non-use” of federal lands — meaning restoration leases — to a position of prominence.
“By putting its thumb on the scales to strongly favor conservation over other uses, this rule will obstruct responsible domestic mining projects,” said National Mining Association President Rich Nolan.
The rule’s adoption comes amid a flurry of new regulations from the Biden administration as the Democrat seeks reelection to a second term in November.
Government agencies recently tightened vehicle emissions standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, established limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water and raised royalty rates for oil companies th