BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday finalized a new rule for public land management that’s meant to put conservation on more equal footing with oil drilling, grazing and other extractive industries on vast government-owned properties.
Officials pushed past strong opposition from private industry and Republican governors to adopt the proposal. GOP members of Congress said in response that they will seek to invalidate it.
The rule from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management — which oversees more than 380,000 square miles (990,000 square kilometers) of land, primarily in the U.S. West — will allow public property to be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land for drilling.
The rule also promotes the designation of more “areas of critical environmental concern” — a special status that can restrict development. It’s given to land with historic or cultural significance or that’s important for wildlife conservation.
US deports about 50 Haitians to nation hit with gang violence, ending monthslong pause in flights
Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs game postponed because of rain in the forecast
Scientists uncover missing link between junk food and cancer
First major attempts to regulate AI face headwinds from all sides
US envoy to UN visits Nagasaki A
Average car insurance bills rocket to almost £1,000: Costs surge £284 in just ONE year
Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs game postponed because of rain in the forecast
Finding an apartment may be easier for California pet owners under new legislation
Longest ever case of Covid lasted 613 DAYS and turned into ultra
Netflix adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley fuels tourism to tiny Italian town