WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — Lawmakers will attend an important hearing on Tuesday regarding the management of public lands through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will review how the Federal Land Policy and Management Act shapes grazing, energy, mining, and infrastructure on BLM public lands. The hearing starts at 9:30 a.m. ET in Washington.
Earlier this year, the BLM moved to rescind the Public Lands Rule from the Biden Administration. Interior Secretary Doug Bergum says that the rule limited access to hundreds of thousands of acres of multiple-use land and sidelined rural voices in favor of conservation. He says overturning the rule will protect the American way of life and give rural communities a stronger voice.
Utah Attorney General Derek E. Brown says rural voices need a bigger role in these regulatory discussions.
“I spent a lot of time in Garfield County […] I have a father-in-law who lives there; we love it; I love the mountain biking there,” said Brown. “It is roughly 93% owned and controlled by the federal government. And so, I think ultimately, one of the things that we need to do is have what’s mentioned. I think every piece of money here today is a meaningful involvement of the people who are local and who are most directly affected by these designations. And I think that will make a huge impact in how we address these issues.”
The BLM says it is working with stakeholders as it finalizes the new rule.
