Wyoming Gov. Gordon Unhappy with BLMs Proposed Rock Springs Resource Management Plan

CHEYENNE, Wyo., August 22, 2024 — Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) publicly released their proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for their Rock Springs Field Office. The plan outlines how the BLM will manage 3.6 million acres of federal land in southwest Wyoming. The Governor’s statement on the RMP follows:

“Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the FEIS for the proposed Rock Springs RMP does not meet Wyoming’s expectations of durable, multiple use of public lands. One quarter of the Field Office remains slated for area of critical environmental concern (ACEC) designation. State agencies and I are still sifting through the details and looking at specific maps, management actions, and stipulations. 

The plan outlines how the BLM will manage 3.6 million acres of federal land in southwest Wyoming. Gov. Mark Gordon said the FEIS for the proposed Rock Springs RMP does not meet Wyoming’s expectations of durable, multiple use of public lands with 25% of the acres- just under 1 million - still slated for area of critical environmental concern (ACEC) designation.

Gordon said stakeholder comments and recommendations helped claw this document away from the BLM’s preferred, absolutely unworkable, Alternative B, which favored conservation over all other uses. Gordon said there is evidence that BLM considered local and cooperative input in places, but chose to force through national agendas in others. 

He said the document must be compared to the current status on the ground, and not by how much it has shifted away from the BLM’s worst-case scenario. He said much work is left to ensure the BLM is staying within the bounds of state and county policies, as well as federal law.

Wyoming U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis said the plan is akin to the Biden administration pushing Wyoming off a cliff.

Additionally, Wyoming is awaiting further information to see how this RMP overlaps with the announcement of the sage-grouse management plan amendment and BLM implementation of their recent Public Lands Rule. It’ll take time though, for officials to review the 1,590 page document

Source: Western Ag Network