Trump administration moves to rescind Biden-era public lands rule Image By EPN Staff Key Points The DOI’s proposal restores the traditional “multiple-use” mandate, prioritizing economic activities like energy production, grazing, and timber management alongside environmental protections. The agency argues the move will reduce uncertainty for ranchers, lease holders, and local governments while maintaining environmental review and public participation. The decision signals a major policy shift from the Biden-era conservation rule toward a resource-development-first approach, welcomed by Western lawmakers and energy-producing states. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has officially proposed to rescind the 2024 Public Lands Rule issued by the Biden Administration. Known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, it is intended to recognize “conservation as an essential component of public lands management, on equal footing with other multiple uses of these lands.” The move by the DOI aims to restore the long-standing federal land-management mandate of “multiple-use” as directed under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). “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,” said Secretary Doug Burgum in a press release. “The most effective caretakers of our federal lands are those whose livelihoods rely on its well-being. Overturning this rule protects our American way of life and gives our communities a voice in the land that they depend on.” The proposal also underscores a shift in administrative priorities, emphasizing resource development and greater local input over centralized land protections. Why it matters The proposed rescission affects how the federal government balances conservation with extractive activities such as grazing, energy development, mining, timber production and recreation on roughly 245 million acres of public lands managed by the BLM. DOI contends the 2024 rule treated conservation, defined as “no-use” in its view, on par with active uses, thereby exceeding statutory authority and creating regulatory uncertainty. House policymakers, including the House Committee on Natural Resources, have welcomed the step as aligning public lands policy with the multiple-use mandate. The bigger picture The Interior Department stated that rescinding the rule would restore clarity for lease holders, ranchers and local governments. The agency emphasized that future land-use decisions will continue to undergo environmental reviews and public participation under existing federal statutes. As part of the formal process, the BLM published the proposed rule to rescind in the Federal Register, inviting public comment which ended Nov. 10, 2025. SUGGESTED STORIES Citing costs, EPA moves to unwind Biden-era rules The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed rescinding certain Biden-era regulations on emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants. The proposals, which aim to eliminate greenhouse gas standards under Clean Air Act Section 111 and repeal updates to the 2024 Mercury and Read more Trump administration moves to strengthen U.S. coal and energy security The Trump administration announced a plan last month to open more federal land for coal mining while allocating $625 million to improve the efficiency and reliability of existing coal-fired power plants. The move aims to extend the role of coal in the U.S. energy mix Read more As EPA delays Biden-era PFAS standards, New Jersey scores major settlement New Jersey recently finalized a $450 million settlement with 3M over PFAS contamination linked to the company’s facilities – one of the largest such settlements to date. The deal, struck as new federal standards were paused, reflects the growing legal and regulatory attention to PFA Read more
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