Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and 11 other members of the Senate Western Caucus have sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, expressing their support for rescinding the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, known as the Public Lands Rule.
The senators argue that the rule, established by the Biden administration, undermines long-standing policies that allow for multiple uses of public lands. They claim that adding “conservation” as an official land use without congressional approval could restrict access to millions of acres of federal land. According to their statement, this could limit recreational activities, energy development, livestock grazing, and other practices important to communities in western states.
“Our constituents live with and rely on the use of Federal lands every day. These lands are not abstract reserves to be locked away but working landscapes that provide food, energy, recreation, and cultural heritage. The Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, or Public Lands Rule, (88 Fed. Reg. 19583) attempted to upend this equilibrium by elevating ‘conservation’ to a standalone use of Federal lands – placing it on par with, and in practice above, traditional productive uses such as grazing, mineral development, timber harvest, and recreation. That is not just legally dubious – it is devastating for the West,” wrote the senators.
They also stated: “Since the 2023 Public Lands Rule took effect, we’ve heard from county commissioners, ranchers, energy developers, mining operators, and local businesses who are faced with regulatory ambiguity, exclusionary leases, and a chilling effect that discourages new investment.”
The letter was signed by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Steve Daines (R-MT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Curtis (R-UT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), James Risch (R-ID), Mike Lee (R-UT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Tim Sheehy (R-MT).
