Interior Repeals Rule Covering 245 Million Acres, Clearing Path for More Drilling and Mining
Updated
Updated · GearJunkie · May 11
Interior Repeals Rule Covering 245 Million Acres, Clearing Path for More Drilling and Mining
4 articles · Updated · GearJunkie · May 11
May 11 brought the Interior Department’s final repeal of the Biden-era Public Lands Rule, ending a 2024 framework that had put conservation on equal footing with mining, timber, grazing and other uses across BLM lands.
Interior said the rule exceeded BLM authority, complicated permitting and could restrict access to hundreds of thousands of acres, while the repeal restores a “multiple use” approach aligned with Trump’s energy policy.
245 million acres are managed by the BLM, and the scrapped rule had required decade-by-decade land health evaluations, public watershed data and 5-year restoration planning for priority landscapes.
138,161 public comments were submitted during the 2025 rescission process, with environmental groups warning the move will speed drilling, mining and logging, while access advocates backed it as a check on agency overreach.
The rollback fits Trump’s January 2025 “Unleashing American Energy” order and broader reversals that have expanded timber sales and oil-and-gas leasing on federal lands.
With conservation rules reversed, can economic growth and ecological health coexist on 245 million acres of public land?
What can redeveloped military bases teach us about the future for balancing use on America’s vast public lands?
245 Million Acres at Risk: The Repeal of the Public Lands Conservation Rule and Its Far-Reaching Consequences
Overview
The May 2026 repeal of the Public Lands Conservation Rule by the BLM marks a major shift in federal land management. This action removes protections for ecosystems and water resources, clearing the way for more oil drilling and livestock grazing. As a result, development activities are expected to increase, further fragmenting wildlife habitats and contaminating watersheds. These changes intensify existing environmental pressures and worsen the impacts of climate change, such as wildfires and drought. The repeal is part of a broader strategy, influenced by Project 2025 and the Congressional Review Act, that prioritizes resource extraction over conservation and risks undermining long-standing environmental safeguards.