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Transmission & Streaming Disruptions

Political reactions trickle in over the final land use plan for the Rock Springs area

A grassy and slightly treed hillside on a partly cloudy day.
Caitlin Tan
/
Wyoming Public Media
Wildlife and hunting protections were included for the Greater Little Mountain area in the final decision.

“Unconstitutional abomination.” “Deeply disgusted.” “Misguided malicious midnight rule.”

These reactions came from Wyoming politicians like Sec. of State Chuck Gray and U.S. Sen. John Barasso. They’re in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final land use plan for 3.6 million acres in the Rock Springs area, which includes iconic wildlife, sand dunes, the Oregon trail and energy resources.

The BLM finalized the resource management plan in mid-December. It was 13 years in the making. But the past year and a half was particularly turbulent. That’s because the initial draft plan released in summer of 2023 favored conservation over energy development, and it included several errors regarding road and trail closures.

It caused unprecedented outrage and government mistrust among many locals and politicians. The issue even caught the eye of the New York Times as an example of oil and gas-dependent states butting heads with the Biden administration's attempts to protect fragile ecological landscapes.

At the time, the BLM emphasized it was a draft plan and that future iterations could include public feedback. The agency received at least 35,000 comments. Additionally, Gov. Mark Gordon assembled a group of local stakeholders to find consensus on recommendations for the BLM.

The agency digested it all and released an updated draft this past summer. Many saw it as an attempt at striking a balance between development and conservation. For example, it keeps about 70% of the land open to oil and gas activity. But also adds conservation measures in some sections, like the Greater Little Mountain area and the Golden Triangle.

For the most part, environmental groups were pleased. However, politicians, like Gordon, still opposed it. He submitted his final feedback, which in part requested the BLM to dial back the conservation measures. The agency denied Gordon’s requests, and instead, finalized the plan in permanent ink. The final version is unchanged from the draft released this summer.

In response, Gordon said that local and state input was “figuratively dumped in the trash.”

But one analysis from the Wyoming Outdoor Council, Wilderness Society and Wyoming Wilderness Association found the BLM did listen. The environmental groups reviewed the recommendations made by Gordon’s assembled group of stakeholders. The findings show that about 80% were included in the BLM’s latest draft, like adding protections for big game migration routes and keeping much of the land open to energy development.

Conservation groups have mostly applauded the BLM’s decision.

“This is how conscientious, transparent land-use planning is supposed to work,” said Julia Stuble, Wyoming state director of the Wilderness Society. “The agency listened to local communities and acted in the public interest when deciding to protect the remarkable wildlife habitat and cultural sites of the Northern Red Desert and Big Sandy Foothills from oil and gas and other development.”

Stuble noted she was disappointed that the BLM didn’t close some critical habitat for big game to oil and gas drilling. But she said the plan overall was a “a good-faith effort to provide durable guidance that balances conservation, access to outdoor recreation and energy needs.”

That sentiment isn’t reflected within the governor’s office. Gordon said Wyoming might sue over the decision, but he’s hoping the Trump administration will simply overturn the plan.

“I am absolutely committed to reviewing and pursuing all the options we have to claw back this misguided ROD [Record of Decision],” Gordon said in a press release. “With President Trump in office, former Governor Burgum at the head of the Department of the Interior, and a Republican Senate and House, I am confident that we will have the ability to finish the job and right a course that has been so far off track over the last four years.”

Gordon was referencing North Dakota’s Gov. Doug Burgum. Trump has said he intends to nominate the Republican governor to head up the agency that oversees the BLM. Burgum is seen as a big proponent of oil and gas.

Still, exactly how the BLM’s decision would be reversed is unclear. Some have suggested it could happen through the Congressional Review Act, which is used to overturn some federal agency actions. It requires approval from both the Senate and House, as well as a signature from the president. It’s been implemented 20 times.

But it’s somewhat of a gray area if it could apply to the Rock Springs Field Office decision, as reported by Wyofile. The BLM was updating an existing land use plan, not creating a new rule.

There’s also national law making attempts to overturn the decision. Wyoming’s Rep. Harriet Hageman sponsored a bill that would “prohibit” the land use plan from being implemented. It was introduced in the fall of 2023 and has not passed either the House or Senate at this point.

The Wyoming Legislature is readying itself, as well. During the upcoming session, lawmakers are set to discuss a bill that would open up state funding to litigate federal land use plans.

Caitlin Tan is the Energy and Natural Resources reporter based in Sublette County, Wyoming. Since graduating from the University of Wyoming in 2017, she’s reported on salmon in Alaska, folkways in Appalachia and helped produce 'All Things Considered' in Washington D.C. She formerly co-hosted the podcast ‘Inside Appalachia.' You can typically find her outside in the mountains with her two dogs.

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