The Trump administration moved on Wednesday to repeal a Biden-era rule that sought to protect millions of acres of public lands from the twin threats of climate change and industrial development.
The proposal from the Bureau of Land Management would prioritize the use of public lands for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, timber production and livestock grazing. The Biden administration, in contrast, had championed their use for conservation, recreation and renewable energy development.
If finalized, the proposal would advance what President Trump has termed his “drill, baby, drill” agenda. It also would herald a major shift in the management of roughly 245 million acres of public lands, which make up about one-tenth of the country.
“The previous administration’s Public Lands Rule had the potential to block access to hundreds of thousands of acres of multiple-use land — preventing energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement on Wednesday.
Repealing the rule, Mr. Burgum said, “protects our American way of life and gives our communities a voice in the land that they depend on.”
The Bureau of Land Management, sometimes called the nation’s largest landlord, has for decades offered leases for the development of public lands, including for oil drilling and cattle ranching. But some of these activities have fragmented and destroyed critical habitat for wildlife. At the same time, climate change has fueled more frequent and more severe wildfires and drought across the American West.
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The post Trump Moves to Scrap Biden Rule That Protected Public Lands appeared first on New York Times.
