Though Western states are critical of the BLM policy, environmental activists lauded the rule as a much-needed way for conservation groups to improve the environment and revitalize public lands. Supporters also say the rule gives energy and mining companies a way to offset the environmental impacts of their projects through improving land, as the New York Times noted. And the revitalization of BLM land is sorely needed.
In 2022, data published by the bipartisan watchdog organization Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility found that 54 million acres of public land managed by the BLM didn’t meet the agency’s own standards for land health. Per that report, the BLM oversees 246 million acres of land — the vast majority in the Western U.S. This public land accounts for about 10% of the country.
“The rule recognizes conservation as an essential component of public lands management, on equal footing with other multiple uses of these lands,” the BLM says on its website.
