"The Interior Department rule puts conservation and clean energy development on par with drilling, mining and resource extraction on federal lands for the first time".
"For decades, the federal government has prioritized oil and gas drilling, hardrock mining and livestock grazing on public lands across the country. That could soon change under a far-reaching Interior Department rule that puts conservation, recreation and renewable energy development on equal footing with resource extraction.
The final rule released Thursday represents a seismic shift in the management of roughly 245 million acres of public property — about one-tenth of the nation’s land mass. It is expected to draw praise from conservationists and legal challenges from fossil fuel industry groups and Republican officials, some of whom have lambasted the move as a “land grab.”
Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, known as the nation’s largest landlord, has long offered leases to oil and gas companies, mining firms and ranchers. Now, for the first time, the nearly 80-year-old agency will auction off “restoration leases” and “mitigation leases” to entities with plans to restore or conserve public lands."
Maxine Joselow reports for the Washington Post April 18, 2024.
SEE ALSO:
"Biden Boosts Conservation In BLM Public Lands Rule" (E&E News)
"Biden Administration Announces Rule to Strengthen Protection of Public Lands" (New York Times)
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