August 18, 2023 |
Photo – Rawlins BLM Office – Bigfoot99 file photo
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon blasted the Bureau of Land Management’s decision, Thursday, to give a special off-limits designation to half of the 3.6 million acres of surface land overseen by its office.
The BLM is proposing that 1.8 million acres of land be given special designation as areas of Critical Environmental Concern.
Governor Gordon said he is “extremely disappointed, yet not surprised, by the redirection this Administration is taking with this draft.”
The governor said he will “review the draft with a fine-tooth comb,” adding that the BLM has ignored a decade of work from the state’s cooperating agencies, local stakeholders, and impacted industries.
U.S. Senator John Barrasso was even more blunt. “The Biden Administration continues to attack our Wyoming way of life,” Barrasso said in a statement. Calling the decision a “land grab,” Wyoming’s senior senator encouraged state residents to use the public comment period to push back against the plan “and strike a balanced approach.”
Senator Lummis said the White House is “prioritizing unnecessary red tape over well-designed policies established by our experts on the ground.”
In announcing the draft plan, BLM opened a 90-day public comment period that closes on November 16, 2023. For those interested in leaving a comment, information can be found at the following link: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/13853/510.
