The U.S. Department of the Interior is moving to scrap a Biden-era policy that treated public land leasing for conservation purposes similarly to leasing for activities such as drilling.
Supporters of the 2024 rule said it gave conservation a formal place within an agency that has historically favored development. Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said the rule could risk limiting access to hundreds of thousands of acres for developing, hampering energy production and timber operations.
The rule is being undone as the Trump administration looks to increase extractive uses on public lands, largely in Western states. Conservation groups are in conflict with this, as are community advocates concerned about potential harms to natural resources, such as water supplies.
Bobby McEnaney of the Natural Resources Defense Council told the AP that eliminating the rule "means less protection for the clean drinking water, less protection for endangered wildlife that depend on healthy habitat, and less accountability when corporations leave these landscapes damaged and degraded."
Meanwhile, some industry leaders are celebrating the decision.
"This action provides greater clarity and predictability for independent oil and natural gas producers — many of whom rely on consistent permitting and leasing processes to operate efficiently and invest in domestic energy supply," Dan Naatz of the Independent Petroleum Association of America said in a statement.
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The fight over public land conservation appears to be far from over. Environmental groups, local advocates, tribes, and outdoor recreation organizations are expected to keep pushing for stronger protections through court challenges, public comment periods, and future land-use planning decisions. States and local communities can also continue supporting habitat restoration, watershed protection, and wildlife corridor projects.
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