The Trump administration has announced plans to cancel a rule established during President Joe Biden’s term that made conservation an official use of public land, placing it on equal footing with development activities such as drilling and mining. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Wednesday that overturning the rule would allow more federal lands to be used for energy production, grazing, logging, and recreation.
The rule, adopted in 2024 under the Biden administration, was intended to refocus the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — which oversees about 10% of U.S. land — by allowing public property to be leased for restoration purposes similarly to how oil companies lease land for drilling. The BLM manages both surface lands and underground mineral reserves across more than one million square miles, with much of this territory located in Western states like Alaska, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Industry and agriculture groups opposed the Biden-era rule and encouraged Republican lawmakers to seek its reversal. Several states including North Dakota filed lawsuits challenging the regulation.
Interior officials argued that the rule imposed unnecessary restrictions and limited access for people who rely on public lands for their livelihoods. “The previous administration’s Public Lands Rule had the potential to block access to hundreds of thousands of acres of multiple-use land – preventing energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West,” Burgum said. He added that reversing it “protects our American way of life and gives our communities a voice in the land that they depend on.”
Environmental advocates supported the Biden policy. Alison Flint, senior legal director at The Wilderness Society, stated: “The administration cannot simply overthrow that statutory authority because they would prefer to let drilling and mining companies call the shots.” Supporters noted that conservation is part of BLM’s mission under the Federal Lands Policy Management Act of 1976.
National Mining Association CEO Rich Nolan welcomed Burgum’s proposal. “This is a welcome change from the prior clear disregard for the legal obligation to balance multiple uses on federal lands,” Nolan said.
The Biden-era rule also promoted designating more areas as “areas of critical environmental concern,” which can limit development due to historical or ecological significance.
A 60-day public comment period will begin once Burgum’s proposal is officially published.
