Champions of Rural America: Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho backs PLR recission, return of local land decisions

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) joined us on Champions of Rural America to share his insights on upcoming changes to public land management and how they will benefit agriculture and the Western working class.

The Department of the Interior is planning to end the Bureau of Land Management’s 2024 Public Lands Rule, which put conservation on equal footing with recreation and grazing on federal lands.

In this week’s Champions of Rural America, we review what the move holds for ag communities and U.S. energy. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) joined us for his perspective on the regulatory changes.

In his interview with RFD-TV’s own Suzanne Alexander, Rep. Simpson shared how the rescission of the Biden-era rule will empower local decision-making in Idaho and rural America as a whole.

He also provided insight on the conservation issues he expects will be resolved by the rollback, and how overturning the rule will impact the Trump Administration’s “Unleashing American Energy” order.

Simpson also discussed how the agricultural community can help expand his state’s economy with restored access to public lands, and how these changes will benefit the working class in his state.

Related Stories
AFBF Associate Economist Samantha Ayoub joins us to dive into H-2A visa program changes and what can be done to ease the pressure on producers.
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report to share why Ames is uniquely positioned to support expanded USDA operations.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week said an announcement would be made on Tuesday. However, that self-imposed deadline has now passed.
RFD-TV Farm Legal and Tax Expert Roger McEowen with the Washburn School of Law dives into a “potpourri” of ag tax and law-related issues in his latest Firm to Farm blog post.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Singer-songwriter Shea Fisher joined the program to discuss her latest projects and her appearance on the Dirt Diaries podcast.
CattleCon 2026 kicks off February 3 in Nashville. Kristin Torres with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association joined RFD-TV to share more about what’s ahead at this year’s event.
Heavy rains are wreaking havoc on Argentina’s farmland, leaving nearly 4 million acres at risk and delaying corn and soybean plantings in one of the world’s top grain export regions.
Farmland values remain stable, but weakened credit conditions and lower expected farm income signal tighter financial margins heading into 2026.
Bangladesh recently pledged to purchase 700,000 tons of U.S. wheat and has also become a new buyer of American soybeans.
The White House is now preparing to restore an Endangered Species Act (ESA) rule from the first Trump Administration.