Trump CANCELS Biden Rule—Unlocks 245 Million Acres

Man speaking at a podium with microphone

Trump administration cancels Biden-era rule that twisted conservation into a roadblock for American energy and jobs on public lands.

Story Highlights

BLM rescinds 2024 Public Lands Rule, restoring multiple-use priorities for 245 million acres under FLPMA.
Rule equated nonprofit conservation leases with mining, grazing, and energy extraction, potentially locking out productive activities.
Secretary Doug Burgum champions move to empower local communities over D.C. overreach.
Western economies gain from faster access to oil, gas, ranching, and mining leases generating billions in royalties.

BLM Targets Biden-Era Overreach

The Bureau of Land Management proposed full rescission of the 2024 Conservation and Landscape Health Rule on September 11, 2025. This Biden administration policy, stemming from Executive Order 14008, elevated conservation leasing by nonprofits to equal status with traditional uses like energy development and grazing. Administration officials argue it treated non-productive activities as equivalent to economic ones, blocking access for ranchers, miners, and energy firms. A 60-day public comment period closed November 11, 2025, with finalization advancing by May 2026.

Restoring Multiple-Use Mandate

Under the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act, BLM manages 245 million acres for sustained yield across energy, minerals, timber, grazing, and recreation. The rescinded rule originated in April 2024 with input from hunting groups but drew criticism for prioritizing “ecosystem health” over working lands. Trump officials, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, assert it hindered innovation and livelihoods. Burgum stated the change protects the American way of life by favoring those whose work depends on these lands.

Stakeholders Rally for Local Control

Oil, gas, mining, ranching, and timber industries support the rescission, viewing the rule as a barrier to permits and leases that generated over $2 billion in royalties pre-2024. Rural Western communities in states like North Dakota and Wyoming stand to benefit from economic boosts. Hunters and anglers remain split, with some groups like Backcountry Hunters & Anglers opposing the move despite initial rule backing. Local voices now hold greater sway against federal mandates.

Economic Wins and Political Momentum

Short-term impacts halt new conservation leases, speeding approvals for energy and grazing on degraded public lands. Long-term, the policy reverts BLM to pre-2024 focus, signaling broader deregulation under Trump 2.0 with Republican congressional majorities. This aligns with energy dominance goals, countering high costs from past renewable pushes. Both conservatives frustrated by federal overreach and independents wary of elite control see this as reclaiming commonsense land use from bureaucratic excess.

Trump administration cancels rule that made conservation a 'use' of public lands https://t.co/cG3nbsw7kj pic.twitter.com/Y0eRdhKFgx

— The Independent (@Independent) May 12, 2026

Expert Views on Balanced Access

Pro-rescission experts highlight how the rule blocked thousands of acres for production and recreation, per Field & Stream analysis. Conservation critics like NRDC decry lost science-based management, but FLPMA precedents favor multiple use. Legal history, including the 2022 court vacatur of a similar BLM rule, bolsters expectations of success amid predicted lawsuits. The move empowers working Americans over distant regulators, bridging divides on government accountability.