USA Bureau of Land Management Fully Rescinds Public Lands Rule

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management is issuing a final rule to fully rescind the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, a document published on the U.S. Federal Register revealed.

“This action restores balance to federal land management under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) by reaffirming the principles of multiple use and sustained yield, ensuring conservation does not restrict productive use of the public lands, and reducing regulatory burdens that impede efficient decision-making,” the document noted.

The final rule is effective on June 11, 2026, according to the document, which highlighted that the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule was issued as a final rule on May 9, 2024.

In a statement posted on his X page on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said, “this Biden-era rule prevented energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West”.

“Rescinding it will strengthen rural economies and ease costs for American families,” he added in the statement, thanking U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a statement sent to Rigzone, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) commended the Trump administration’s rescission of the “flawed Public Lands Rule”.

“IPAA welcomes the Trump administration’s decision to repeal the Bureau of Land Management’s Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, which elevated conservation as a co-equal ‘use’, creating uncertainty around access and risking constraints on current land usage,” IPAA EVP and Chief Policy Officer Dan Naatz said in the statement.

“The Mineral Leasing Act is clear in its multiple-use framework and 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,” he added.

“IPAA supports policies that ensure continued access to federal resources while maintaining strong environmental stewardship, and we look forward to working with the administration to advance pragmatic reforms that promote energy security, economic growth, and responsible land management,” he continued.

In another statement sent to Rigzone, the American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC) also welcomed the Bureau of Land Management’s rescission of the rule, noting that this action “reverses a clear overreach in agency authority”.

AXPC said in this statement that the 2024 rule “raised serious concerns by inappropriately expanding agency discretion to be able to effectively withdraw lands from traditional uses that had already been designated through rigorous public planning processes, which explicitly incorporate environmental protections, resource stewardship, and multiple-use mandates”.

“As a result, the rule disregarded those established safeguards and undermined clear congressional intent for the leasing, permitting, and responsible development of federal lands for public benefit,” it added.

AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury said in the statement, “AXPC applauds Secretary Burgum for taking a crucial step to secure energy affordability by restoring balanced management of federal lands, including for responsible oil and natural gas development as Congress intended”.

In a statement posted on its website, the Sierra Club criticized the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to fully rescind the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.

A document posted on the Federal Register on May 9, 2024, outlined that the Bureau of Land Management was “promulgat[ing]” the Conservation and Landscape Health final rule, “pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, and other relevant authorities, to advance the BLM’s multiple use and sustained yield mission by prioritizing the health and resilience of ecosystems across public lands”.

“To support ecosystem health and resilience, the rule provides that the BLM will protect intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and make informed management decisions based on science and data,” that document added.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com