The Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment, in collaboration with law professors across the western United States, has taken the lead in defending the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)'s 2024 Conservation and Public Lands Health Rule by submitting detailed comments to BLM's acting director Bill Groffy in response to a proposed rescission. 

The scholars weighed in to ensure the BLM correctly interprets and applies the core principles of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and upholds the agency's authority to protect shared natural resources for future generations.

“The Bureau of Land Management oversees 245 million acres of public land, one out of every 10 acres in the country,” said Chris Winter, executive director of the Getches–Wilkinson Center. “We must constantly balance protections for clean air and water, wildlife habitat, cultural importance, and inspiration along with providing economic opportunity. Under our public land laws, no one use takes precedence over the others.” 

The public lands rule was a significant regulatory update intended to guide the stewardship of 245 million acres of federal public lands. It implemented FLPMA’s "multiple use and sustained yield" framework by clarifying BLM’s mission, shifting focus toward long-term ecological health and resilience.

The public lands rule established a framework for measuring and tracking landscape health and ensuring the conservation of public resources is treated equally with other multiple uses, guaranteeing a sustained yield for the American public. It is firmly grounded in FLPMA, which explicitly prohibits the permanent impairment of the land and the quality of the environment.

Following a change in administration, the BLM proposed to rescind the public lands rule entirely, asserting it conflicted with FLPMA’s statutory authorities. Learn more and read the submitted comments.