Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the full rescinding of the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule. Following BLM's announcement, Congressional Western Caucus Chair Celeste Maloy (UT-02) and other Members released these statements:

“Unlocking our public lands and using them for conservation is not a zero-sum game. The multiple-use doctrine restored by the Trump Administration today will allow grazing, energy and mineral development, forestry management, and public recreation while also protecting these lands for future generations,” said Chair Celeste Maloy.

“Rescinding this Biden-era Public Lands Rule is a major victory for Western states, restoring balance to the multiple-use mandate that has guided public land management across the West for several generations. The Western Caucus has long fought against one-size-fits-all policies that lock up our lands and weaken rural economies, and we applaud this action to return BLM management to the principles of multiple use and sustained yield established under federal law,” said Executive Vice Chair Nick Begich.

“Nobody makes better beef than Montana ranchers. This decision is a return to the original mission the BLM was created for. The Taylor Grazing Act made clear these lands play a critical role in feeding our nation and sustaining rural communities, they are not meant to be locked up to satisfy the latest Washington political agenda. In Montana, working lands support ranching families who help put food on America’s tables. I support the BLM’s decision to put people who have been stewards of the land for generations back at the center of public land management,” said Vice Chair Ryan Zinke.

“The previous administration’s aggressive land grabs were implemented with zero consideration of the families, farmers, ranchers, tribes, and others who understand our lands better than anyone in Washington D.C.,” said Vice Chair Harriet Hageman. “President Trump is restoring integrity to our environmental agencies and standing up for our western way of life by making lands manageable again.”

"I'm pleased to see the Bureau of Land Management rescind the Biden-era Conservation and Landscape Health Rule. This out-of-touch rule would have seriously impacted how Idahoans enjoy the 12 million acres of BLM-managed land across our great state. I am grateful to see the Trump administration respond to responsible stewards, like those throughout Idaho, and restore the principle of multiple uses on public lands," said Representative Mike Simpson.

"Yesterday’s action by the Department of the Interior to repeal the harmful Biden administration’s Conservation and Landscape Health rule is a major victory for the American West," said Representative Russ Fulcher. "This move preserves traditional multiple-use practices on federal lands—such as grazing, ranching, and recreation—that communities in my home state of Idaho have relied on for generations. For the past year, I have fought in the House to stop this overreaching rule as a co-lead on the WEST Act, and yesterday, we prevailed."

“The Biden Administration’s Public Lands Rule was both a reckless overreach and an underdelivered promise that at once blocked hard working Americans from accessing hundreds of thousands of acres ideal for grazing, recreation, and mining,” said Representative Darrell Issa. “That’s why I’m proud to support the decision by this Administration and the Department of Interior to rescind this failed policy and allow our people to utilize our country’s lands for generations to come.”

“The Biden Administration used the Public Lands Rule to turn BLM into a ‘no-use’ agency. This regulatory overreach hampered access for multiple user groups to the detriment of our public lands. The Trump Administration has rightly rescinded this rule and restored BLM’s multi-use mandate as required by law. Responsible grazing, energy production, timber harvest, and outdoor recreation can coexist with environmental stewardship and support the communities that rely on these lands,” said Representative Jeff Crank.
 
“Montanans care deeply about protecting our public lands and ensuring they remain accessible, healthy, and productive for future generations. As the Bureau of Land Management moves forward, it’s important that land management decisions continue to balance conservation, responsible use, local input, and long-term stewardship. We can protect our natural resources while also supporting the communities, jobs, and traditions that depend on them,” said Representative Troy Downing.

“The Bureau of Land Management’s decision to overturn the Biden-era Conservation and Landscape Health Rule is a huge win for Arizona and the entire West. This disastrous rule was a blatant federal land grab that threatened grazing, mining, energy production, recreation, and rural livelihoods by placing radical preservation policies above the multiple-use mandate required by law. By rescinding this reckless regulation, the BLM is restoring common sense, protecting access to public lands, reducing burdensome red tape, and reaffirming that federal lands should be managed for the benefit of the American people — not extremist environmental agendas,” said Representative Paul Gosar.

“I applaud the Trump administration for overturning the disastrous Conservation and Landscape Health Rule made during the Biden Administration,” said Representative Abe Hamadeh. “The federal government’s tight grip on our western lands has, over the years, robbed our rural communities, ranchers, hunters, and energy producers of many opportunities to grow our economy. That ends now.”

The Conservation Landscape Health Rule, also known as the “public lands rule” was implemented by the Biden Administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2024. It allowed BLM to set aside public lands for non-use under the guise of public land health and conservation, and applied land health standards to all BLM-managed lands, including those utilized for mining, grazing, and recreation. The public lands rule undermined the multiple-use standard for public lands, created by the Federal Lands Policy Management Act (FLPMA), and the needs of local communities, ranchers, and economies across rural America, especially in the West.

Without any limit placed upon this conservation authority, BLM had the power to convert millions of acres of multiple-use grazing land into unmanaged, unusable conservation land. To prevent the widespread misuse of this power, local communities and officials across the West contested BLM’s authority to utilize the Conservation Landscape Health Rule and advocated for the restoration of the multiple-use doctrine, as originally intended by Congress through the passage of FLPMA.

Yesterday, the Trump Administration’s Final Rule revoked the Conservation Landscape Health Rule to reign in the powers of federal bureaucrats to reserve public lands for non-use. This decision takes into consideration and serves the needs of local communities, America’s energy infrastructure, and thousands of ranchers who graze their livestock on public lands. 

The Federal Register document for this rule can be found here.