Co-leading a multistate coalition of six attorneys general, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of the Interior’s proposal to rescind the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (Public Lands Rule), a landmark regulation that clarifies that conservation is a “use” of federal public lands on equal footing with mining, drilling, timber, and grazing across 245 million acres of public lands nationwide. importantly, the Public Lands Rule created formal leasing frameworks that allow BLM to lease land for conservation, restoration, and climate change mitigation purposes. Additionally, The Rule prioritizes designation of “areas of critical environmental concern” (ACECs) and provides for greater stakeholder engagement, including Tribal consultation, on management decisions on all BLM-managed lands. The Rule provides necessary tools for BLM to address the pernicious impacts of climate change on public lands across the United States. In the comment letter, the coalition highlights how the rescission of the Rule would not only be unlawful but would leave millions of acres more vulnerable to degradation, habitat loss, and worsening impacts from climate change.
"In this race to the bottom to dismantle climate and environmental progress, the Trump Administration is in first place. This time, they’re attempting to recklessly rollback the Public Lands Rule that would illegally weaken vital protections, paving the way for exploitation of America’s shared lands and undermining decades of conservation advancements,” said Attorney General Bonta. “These public lands belong to all of us. California residents rely on healthy and resilient BLM lands to provide clean air and water for communities, habitat for wildlife, support our livelihoods, and provide recreational opportunities. The Administration must withdraw this illegal proposal immediately.”