The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to overturn a Bureau of Land Management planning rule that's been in the works for years with cooperation from sportsmen and ranchers. The BLM says Planning 2.0 would give the public more opportunity for input and provide more protection to big game migration routes that were discovered since the old rule was adopted.
Proponents such as the Wyoming Wilderness Association say if the rule is scrapped using the Congressional Review Act, those benefits would be lost until the end of the Trump administration.
Wyoming Governor Mead agrees with overturning 2.0 because there's less accountability in the new rule, according to his policy adviser Jessica Crowder. She said any perks in 2.0 are still salvageable.
“The BLM has the opportunity to do some of the good things that they put forward in 2.0. Because, you're right, it does provide for increased public participation,” said Crowder. “It improves some of the processes on the front end. Some of those things — in fact, all of those things — can actually be done under the old planning rule.”
Crowder said Mead and other Western governors argue that 2.0 left states out of the rule's development.
“Unfortunately, the Governor's office and other state agencies were not allowed an opportunity to review the rule prior to the proposed rule being published for public comment. And were not able to participate in revisions that occurred between the proposed rule and the final rule. So that is a concern,” said Crowder.
The Senate is likely to consider the issue this spring.
