FEBRUARY 12, 2025|
Photo – BLM’s Rock Springs Field Office – Bigfoot99 file photo
U.S. Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming on Tuesday introduced legislation to protect multiple use policy on federal lands. The legislation would block the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) finalized Public Lands Rule.
In a statement, Senator Barrasso said, “Almost half the land in Wyoming is owned by the federal government. The law has long recognized the value of managing much of that land for multiple use – including mineral development, grazing, recreation and timber management. Wyoming prides itself on being responsible environmental stewards of the land. The Biden Administration put in rules to upend public land access and productivity. This bill will direct the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to block the former administration’s disastrous Public Lands Rule. We are ready to work with the Trump Administration to end the radical rules that threaten our Wyoming way of life.”
The short title of the bill is “Western Economic Security Today Act” or “West Act of 2025.” Co-sponsors include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
The bill calls for the BLM’s “Conservation and Landscape Health Rule” to have no effect.
Senator Barrasso said the BLM’s rule runs counter to the agency’s multiple use mandate.
President Donald Trump signaled his support of the legislation by shutting down the Biden Administration’s controversial land management plan last week.
