Wyoming Senator Blasts Interior Secretary Over New BLM Rule

Wyoming Senator Blasts Interior Secretary Over New BLM Rule

Russell Nemetz
Russell Nemetz
This week Interior Secretary Deb Haaland heard an earful from Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources at a full committee hearing to examine the President’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Interior.

Regarding livestock grazing on our public lands, Senator Barrasso told Secretary Haaland she’s attacking multiple use of land.

"“Multiple-use is the decades-old, bedrock principle of federal land management,” said Barrasso. “In March, the Department of the Interior released a proposed rule to allow entities to lease federal lands for the purpose – not of use, but of non-use. In other words, the Secretary wants to make non-use a use. She is calling up – down, day – night, black – white – turning federal law on its head. The Secretary is giving radicals a new tool to shut out the public. Remember, environmental radicals don’t want the public to have access to public lands. Families and communities in Wyoming and throughout the West depend on access to public lands for grazing, for forest management, for recreation.”

The rule is still a long way from being finalized. There will be a 75-day comment period once the draft of the rule is published in the Federal Register, and it likely won’t be completed until next year as the agency reviews feedback from stakeholders.

Source: U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY)

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