In Wyoming, officials ready for battle against feds over land management
If finalized, it will designate 1.8 million acres of Wyoming as “areas of critical environmental concern,” which would severely restrict most mining, oil and gas development, and grazing.
Wyoming elected officials are gearing up for a fight with the Bureau of Land Management over millions of acres the federal agency wants to close off to most uses.

The bureau develops resource management plans for public lands across the country. These plans, according to the BLM, are meant to "keep public landscapes healthy and productive."
The development process includes public engagement and environmental impact statements under the National Environmental Policy Act.
In August, the BLM Rock Springs Field Office, which oversees approximately 3.6 million acres of land in south-central Wyoming, released a Draft Resource Management Plan revision for the area.

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If finalized, it will designate 1.8 million acres of that area as “areas of critical environmental concern,” which would severely restrict most mining, oil and gas development, and grazing within that designation.
The plan has solicited stern criticism from Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and a U.S. House amendment, which was tacked onto the Department of Interior’s appropriations bill. It will block the BLM from implementing the plan.
Wyoming legislative committee also passed a bill to be considered in the state’s legislative session in January. It asserts the state’s authority over land within its borders and appropriates $50 million for a legal fight.
“I think this sends a message that we’re getting locked and loaded to not get pushed around anymore by the big guys back in D.C.,” said Wyoming Sen. Bob Ide during the committee hearing on the bill.
As Gov. Gordon explained in a letter to BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning, the draft was developed over 12 years, which included multiple public meetings, input from state and local agencies, and millions of dollars in taxpayer money.
The bureau had four different alternative plans available to pursue, including one that changes little about the way the area is currently managed and others that placed limitations on various uses and development.
The bureau went with the option that has the most severe resource use restrictions, and the one that has little support in the state.
”Over a decade’s worth of contributions from local stakeholders, cooperators, counties, and state agencies are either falling on deaf ears or disingenuously being thrown by the wayside with this decision,” Gordon stated in his letter.
The plan would affect an area of the Cowboy State that hosts a range of industries, including oil and gas development, cattle ranching and mining, and it’s drawn considerable criticism from the state’s industry leaders and cattle ranchers.
In September, the BLM held an informational meeting in Rock Springs, Wyoming, which is in Sweetwater County, that drew 500 people. About 41,000 residents live in the county, which has nearly as much area as the entire state of Massachusetts. Half of those residents live in Rock Springs.
”This is one of the largest land grabs we've ever seen. The Rock Springs RMP threatens Wyoming’s recreation, grazing and energy industries,” Hageman said in a statement.
The Wyoming legislature has also joined in the fight against the plan.
 
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/wyoming-officials-fight-blm-over-restrictive-management-plan-they-say