NMFLC News:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is taking comments on the most sweeping regulatory changes proposed in more than 50 years, said New Mexico Federal Lands Council (NMFLC) President Don L. (Bebo) Lee in Alamogordo.
The comment period on the new rule closes June 20, 2023. To read the proposed rule, visit: https://www.blm.gov/public-lands-rule. Directions for filing comments are also at that site.
Dubbed the framework for “conservation leases”, the proposal places a newfound priority on preservation. The new Public Lands Rule presents a radical departure from the “multiple use mandate” Congress outlined for the agency in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), according to Tristan Justice, The Federalist.
However in public meetings and zoom presentations, the public was told that Congress had directed this regulatory change and it was envisioned in the creation of FLPMA, according to Caren Cowan, The New Mexico Stockman Magazine.
There has been no Congressional direction to develop this proposed rule. To the contrary, Congressman John R. Curtis (R-UT) has introduced H.R.3397 to require the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw the rule relating to conservation and landscape health. There will be companion legislation introduced in the Senate in the immediate future, Cowan said.
There appears to be some belief that this Public Lands Rule will only impact some multiple use users, others have stated that this is the federal government’s vehicle to lock up federal property, says The Federalist.
While the BLM summary of the proposed rules repeatedly claims that conservation is merely being elevated to be “on par” with and not above activities such as grazing, mining, and logging, the text includes definitions that reveal ulterior motives. The rules outline new protections with vague terms such as “landscapes” and require officials to “prioritize protection of such landscapes” in leasing decisions, says The Federalist.
“This is an attempt by the Biden administration to end multiple use on public lands,” said William Perry Pendley, former director of the BLM.
For more information, contact the NMFLC at newmexicofederallandscouncil@gmail.com. The NMFLC has been New Mexico’s voice for federal and State Trust Land users for nearly 50 years.
