U.S. overhauls public land-use planning; senator vows reversal

BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. government officials on Thursday finalized an overhaul of how they plan for oil and gas drilling, mining, grazing and other activities across public lands in the West.

The move by the Bureau of Land Management aims to address criticism of an often-cumbersome process that dictates development across almost 250 million acres of federal lands, primarily in 12 Western states and the Dakotas.

Administration officials said the changes would improve public involvement and government transparency by adding additional steps to land-use planning.

Members of Congress, industry groups and local officials have raised concerns about the overhaul’s practical effects. They’ve said it will elevate wildlife and environmental preservation above other uses such as energy development and shift decision-making from agency field offices to Washington, D.C.

It updates regulations adopted in 1979.

The timing of the new rule in the Obama administration’s last days drew a rebuke from U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, who predicted it would take authority away from local land managers. The Wyoming Republican pledged to work to reverse it once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

About 28 percent of Wyoming’s land and 65 percent of the minerals beneath its surface are administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

The changes were backed by conservation and sporting groups including Trout Unlimited and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.