ARIZONA NEWS

Lawmakers spar over BLM plan to weigh conservation in land-use decisions

Jun 18, 2023, 6:30 AM

Critics of a Bureau of Land Management plan to make conservation a classification for consideration...

Critics of a Bureau of Land Management plan to make conservation a classification for consideration in the use of public lands called it a regulatory overreach. But defenders said it would merely bring balance to the process of considering land use. (Photo by Tim D. Peterson Jr./Bears Ears Coalition)

(Photo by Tim D. Peterson Jr./Bears Ears Coalition)

WASHINGTON – A Bureau of Land Management rule that would, for the first time, count conservation as a legitimate use for public lands, along with mining, logging and other uses, is an “offensive” overreach of federal authority, Republicans said Thursday.

The comments came at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on a bill that would force the BLM to rescind its proposed Conservation and Landscape Health rule, unveiled by the agency in April and now set to take effect in July.

“For decades and decades and decades the good people of Utah have managed these lands in a responsible way,” said Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, who said he was “having a hard time literally having my head not explode” at the rule.

Curtis, the sponsor of the bill that would block the rule, said that bureaucrats in Washington who “have hardly been to the West other than to fly over it on their way to California, tell us that they know better than we do how to manage these lands.”

But others defended the rule, saying that its classification of lands for “protecting intact landscapes and restoring degraded habitat” would not keep those lands from also being used for mining, forestry or any other uses.

They say the rule will merely bring balance by introducing conservation as a consideration when deciding on land usage. They said Republicans who are concerned about restrictions on land use like mining and ranching have nothing to fear.

“This rule provides an opportunity for local communities to look at restoration and conservation as a legitimate use of BLM lands. That’s all it does,” Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Tucson, said at the hearing. “It doesn’t change the fundamental ground we’re working with, but it provides an opportunity for the future.”

He described the “mythology” that Western states have always been a certain way and that will never change.

“The West has changed, the dynamics are different,” he said. He pointed to his own experience as a county official, saying that people’s anger at conservation plans always subsided when they saw how beneficial the plans were.

The new rule, proposed in April, would add conservation as a category by which land can be classified for protecting landscapes and restoring habitat. The BLM promises the designation would not preclude the areas from also being used for mining, forestry, ranching or any other uses currently allowed under the existing framework.

Nada Wolff Culver, the principal deputy director of the BLM, said in prepared testimony for the committee that the new rule would help the agency “responsibly manage energy development, grazing, mining, recreation, conservation, and other uses” that are part of the bureau’s responsibility.

But Jeff Eisenberg, policy director at the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association, said assurances from the BLM ring hollow when the agency’s past actions have damaged rancher’s livelihoods.

“There is no special designation they have made in land use on public lands that has not resulted in reducing or eliminating grazing,” he said, and for that reason, ranchers are against it.

Ranchers are already conserving land, Eisenberg said, by following land-use health standards.

“They (BLM) want intact land, they want that,” he said. “And our ranchers are out there meeting those standards. By definition, that’s conservation use of the land – by their own definition.”

“If they’re making additional special designations, it always, without fail, has the effect of driving ranching out,” Eisenberg said. “Ranching is 155 out of 245 million acres on BLM land, so there’s a significant conflict there.”

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Bullhead City, was more direct in his criticism of the agency, which he accused of way overstepping its authority with the new rule. He is a cosponsor of the bill to overturn it.

Gosar, one of a chorus of Republicans on the committee who oppose the proposed rule, told Culver to “stay in your lane.” He encouraged states to take the BLM and Forest Service to court to reverse the rule.

“I find this offensive,” said Gosar, who called for an in-person meeting between Arizonans and the BLM. “I think we deserve it and we demand it.”

“We’re the people that are making the laws, not you,” he told Culver. “We’ve got this all backwards. Really backwards.”

Culver told the committee that the public comment period on the rule, originally set to expire next week, had been extended for another 15 days.

Other witnesses at the hearing included Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, both Republicans and both opposed to the conservation rule. Their testimony led Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, to say the committee should hear from witnesses who believed in climate change.

“I’d like to emphasize the importance of inviting witnesses that follow the science and have expertise in the issues we are discussing,” he said, pointing to the importance of this rule in Arizona, which has more than 12 million surface acres under BLM management.

In a press release on the rule, the White House said the proposal would bring “needed balance to the management of more than 200 million acres of land … and ensure that treasured lands and waters are conserved for future generations.”

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

Fountain Hills native Nicholas Hambruch was announced as lead for the new "Shrek the Musical" comin...

David Veenstra

Valley native cast as lead of new touring version of ‘Shrek’ musical

An all-new version of "Shrek the Musical" with Fountain Hills native Nicholas Hambruch starring as Shrek is coming to Phoenix in March.

1 hour ago

Rendering of Verrado Marketplace, which will total 500,000 square feet with a host of retailers, re...

Audrey Jensen/Phoenix Business Journal

Target among major tenants announced for Verrado Marketplace in Buckeye

Target, Safeway and a Harkins BackLot entertainment complex will be the anchor tenants for the planned Verrado Marketplace in Buckeye.

2 hours ago

(AP File Photo)...

KTAR.com

Northbound lanes on Interstate 17 near Black Canyon City reopen after crash

A crash closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 17 near Black Canyon City. ADOT advised motorists to seek an alternate route.

13 hours ago

mugshot of Street after he turned himself in at the Casa Grande facility and image of teenage Haile...

KTAR.com

2 more people arrested in connection to Casa Grande teen’s death

Two more people, both juveniles, have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a teenage girl on Nov. 26. 

15 hours ago

Police said that the teen admitted to detectives that he sent the bomb threat message. (Facebook Ph...

KTAR.com

Casa Grande teen arrested for allegedly sending bomb threat to Ottawa University in Surprise

A 17-year-old from Casa Grande was arrested Thursday after allegedly sending a bomb threat to Ottawa University's Arizona campus in Surprise.

17 hours ago

A man was taken into custody early Friday morning after threatening a rideshare driver with a gun. ...

KTAR.com

Ride-share customer arrested after allegedly pulling gun on driver in Glendale

A ride-share customer was arrested after allegedly pulling gun on a driver early Friday morning, according to Glendale police. 

17 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Dierdre Woodruff

Interest rates may have peaked. Should you buy a CD, high-yield savings account, or a fixed annuity?

Interest rates are the highest they’ve been in decades, and it looks like the Fed has paused hikes. This may be the best time to lock in rates for long-term, low-risk financial products like fixed annuities.

Follow @KTAR923...

West Hunsaker at Morris Hall supports Make-A-Wish Foundation in Arizona

KTAR's Community Spotlight this month focuses on Morris Hall and its commitment to supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Arizona.

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University: innovating Arizona health care education

Midwestern University’s Glendale Campus near Loop 101 and 59th Avenue is an established leader in health care education and one of Arizona’s largest and most valuable health care resources.

Lawmakers spar over BLM plan to weigh conservation in land-use decisions