The U.S. Interior Department is canceling a rule that placed conservation on equal footing with development, as the Trump administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining, and grazing on taxpayer-owned land.
Background of the Canceled Rule
The 2024 rule, adopted under former President Joe Biden, aimed to refocus the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees about 10% of land in the U.S. It allowed public property to be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land for drilling.
Arguments For and Against
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum argued that the rule could have blocked access to hundreds of thousands of acres of land, preventing energy and timber production and hurting ranchers who graze on public lands. Supporters of the rule countered that conservation had long been a secondary consideration at the BLM, neglecting its mission under the 1976 Federal Lands Policy Management Act. While the bureau previously issued leases for conservation purposes in limited cases, it never had a dedicated program prior to the Biden administration.
Bobby McEnaney of the Natural Resources Defense Council stated that repealing the rule "means less protection for clean drinking water, less protection for endangered wildlife that depend on healthy habitat, and less accountability when corporations leave these landscapes damaged and degraded."
Legal and Political Reactions
In documents released Monday, administration officials said the rule exceeded the BLM's authority by allowing outside parties to obtain conservation leases. Industry groups and their Republican allies in Congress strongly opposed the rule and had lobbied to repeal it, arguing that the change violated the "multiple use" mandate for Interior Department lands by catapulting the "non-use" of federal lands—meaning restoration leases—to a position of prominence.
Dan Naatz of the Independent Petroleum Association of America said the action provides "greater clarity and predictability for independent oil and natural gas producers," who rely on consistent permitting and leasing processes.
Impact on Western States
The federal government's vast land holdings are concentrated in western states including Alaska, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Since taking office, Trump has pursued actions to boost fossil fuel production from these taxpayer-owned sites, while also seeking to sideline some renewable energy projects, claiming they were unfairly subsidized under Biden.
The repeal is effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, scheduled for Tuesday. It follows recent congressional cancellations of land management plans adopted under Biden that restricted development in large areas of Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota.
In addition to surface land holdings, the BLM regulates publicly owned underground mineral reserves—such as coal for power plants and lithium for renewable energy—across more than 1 million square miles. The bureau has a history of industry-friendly policies and has sold grazing permits and oil and gas leases for over a century.
