United States – The Biden administration on Thursday announced new safety rules for U.S. federal lands. These rules require acreage to be leased for conservation, just like any area offered to companies for drilling, mining, and grazing.
Aimed at Protecting Land Mass
The Interior Department regulations will protect nearly 10 percent of the USA’s land mass from the effects of global warming. These regulations will also allow industries to contribute to a net-zero carbon footprint.
Unfolding in continuity with the administration’s aim to focus on issues of climate change as a priority and Biden’s commitment to keep 30% of our land and water intact, as reported by Reuters.
Reaction from Conservation Groups and Industry
The rule was met with applause from conservation groups, while the oil and gas industry association said that it was incorrect, and they intended to take legal action for standing against the rule.
The Bureau of Land Management’s so-called Public Lands Rule eliminates the discrepancy between conservation and other uses of public lands and mandates land health as a primary criterion for Interior Department decision-making.
In addition, it forms an ecosystem wherein an area of land can be leased out to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems or mitigate the effect of development on other public lands. The leases do not create a conflict with existing uses because there is an agency statement.
“As stewards of America’s public lands, the Interior Department takes seriously our role in helping bolster landscape resilience in the face of worsening climate impacts,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.
“Today’s final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come.”
Restoration and Responsible Development
Conservation groups said that the BLM had neglected to maintain the health of the land in favor of development for far too long.
“This rule gives the BLM the tools it needs to right these wrongs and start improving the health of our public lands,” Center for Western Priorities spokesperson Kate Groetzinger said in a statement. “It also provides tools for extractive industries to be part of the solution, rather than exacerbate the problem.”
The Western Alliance of Energy, which represents oil and gas companies that operate on federal grounds, stated the rule would upset the smooth co-existence between public land resources, including energy, mines, livestock, and recreation, as reported by Reuters.
“This is a classic example of overreach by the Biden Administration, which has no problem ignoring basic law. It would be detrimental to rural communities all across the West that rely on responsible economic development on non-park, non-wilderness public lands,” Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma said in a statement. We have no choice but to litigate.”