BLM Officially Repeals the Public Lands Rule

The Bureau of Land Management has formally repealed the Public Lands Rule, a policy finalized in 2024 that required conservation to be weighed equally alongside drilling, mining, and other extractive uses across 245 million acres of public land. During the public comment period on the rescission, 98 percent of commenters — including members of Congress, local elected officials, former BLM staff, and Tribal representatives — urged the administration to keep the rule in place. Despite this overwhelming opposition, the rule has now been struck down, removing a key safeguard for balanced land management on the lands we all share