BLM Moves to Roll Back Public Lands Rule, Threatening National Parks and Public Access

WASHINGTON – Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its intent to eliminate the Public Lands Rule, opening a 60-day public comment period that could roll back protections and restoration efforts on millions of acres of public lands, including landscapes that border more than 80 national parks.

The Public Lands Rule, adopted after overwhelming public support, brought long-overdue balance between conservation and extractive use in public lands management. The rule was created to address a historic imbalance that leaves 80% of BLM land open to oil and gas development and vast areas open to mining, often at the expense of public access and conservation uses.

Eliminating the rule would put the health of parks, wildlife and watersheds and the integrity of cultural resources on a path dominated by industrial development.

Statement from Beau Kiklis, Associate Director of Energy and Landscape Conservation

“This attempt to erase the Public Lands Rule undermines a long-overdue update that communities across the country stood up for. Our public lands should serve everyone, not just oil, gas, and mining interests. This rule protects park-adjacent landscapes from unchecked industrial energy development, and without it, parks like Grand Teton, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Dinosaur National Monument could see oil rigs on their horizons or mines polluting the rivers that sustain them. Our public lands need balance, not more giveaways.”

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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org