Kim Petty, kim.petty@sierraclub.org
SEATTLE — Today, the Trump administration finalized its rescission of the BLM Public Lands Rule, eliminating much-needed modern safeguards for America’s public lands through a process that limited public participation and ignored clear public opposition. The decision advances a broader effort to weaken public land protections while prioritizing extractive industries, like drilling, mining, and logging, over conserving public lands and ensuring recreational access.
Despite the administration offering fewer avenues for public engagement than under the original rulemaking process for the Public Lands Rule, the public response was decisive. More than 130,000 comments were submitted during the comment period for the rescission rule. An analysis revealed that an overwhelming 98 percent of commenters urged the administration to retain the Public Lands Rule, including members of Congress, local elected leaders, former Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials, Tribal representatives, and community voices from across the country.
The Public Lands Rule ensured conservation, wildlife habitat, clean water, cultural resources, and Indigenous Knowledge would be fully considered alongside development across more than 250 million acres of public land, including more than 16 million acres in the Pacific Northwest. Rescinding the rule strips the BLM of critical tools needed to manage land health and respond to growing climate and ecological challenges, while also harming local communities built on recreational tourism who rely on healthy landscapes.
In response, Ben Avery, Sierra Club Washington State Chapter Director, released the following statement:
“The Trump administration has put a price tag on our public lands, something all Washingtonians consider priceless. Revoking the Public Lands Rule is an egregious, shortsighted decision to line the pockets of billionaires and corporate polluters. For generations, people all over this state have come together to protect and enjoy these places where we hike, camp, swim, and fish. We're grateful to Washington's leaders who have already stepped up to defend them, and we're calling on them to keep fighting — in the courts, in Congress, and everywhere else it takes — to protect our public lands for future generations.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.