The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has come under fire in Wyoming. The agency wants to list 1.8 million acres as “areas of critical environmental concern.” The idea didn’t sit well with Wyoming’s U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman, a Republican. She declared the BLM’s actions as “one of the largest land grabs we’ve ever seen,” and has taken action in the House to block it. In what way will the BLM’s Wyoming “land grab” be effected?
BLM’s Wyoming “land grab” threatens recreation
The BLM’s idea, which it calls the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP), would, in Hageman’s mind, lock up those lands and disenfranchise Wyoming residents, and the economy. In a statement, Representative Hageman wrote, “The Rock Springs RMP threatens Wyoming’s recreation, grazing and energy industries. If approved, the Rock Springs RMP would block the use of 2.5 million acres of land for pipelines, power lines, and roads and remove 1.8 million acres from grazing, recreation, and economic development activities.”
To counter the agency move, Hageman promoted an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill. It prohibits the finalization of the draft Rock Springs Resource Management Plan. The House voted to pass her amendment.
BLM says some have misunderstandings about what the plan would actually do
BLM’s reaction to the whole matter is essentially silence. Agency officials in the past told the media that they can’t comment on Hageman’s work. Reason? It’s a matter of ongoing legislation. However, BLM officials at public meetings did point out some have misunderstood what the plan would do to public access.
“[The plan] has a lot of folks riled up because they think that we’re closing public access,” Kimberlee Foster, the BLM Rock Springs Field Office manager told media recently. “And there’s not a single management action that actually closes public access,” she said. “None of them are a blanket closure for hunting or fishing, or dog walking or any of the other things that people like to do.”
Foster feels a lot of the public anger is being fueled by misunderstandings or misinformation. She said the BLM had a mistake in the draft that implied some roads would be closed. However, that is not the case and the mistake will be corrected.
Judge for yourself
To get a full understanding of just what would or would not be done, the public can read the plan. Comments to the BLM can be made until January 17, 2024.
##RVT1130b
Thank you guys for keeping us informed on this possible land grab!
Whenever making plans to change the way business is done in any region, unless you get the folks in the region onboard with your plans and supporting them, those plans will almost always be doomed to failure. Planning 101.
Thank you, Russ and Tina.
Short strokes. This land grab is to limit access to any oil pipelines in the future. Part of the “New World Order” program being pushed by elites across the world.
Yep.
I don’t quite understand. Do not a lot of us want us to use more of our own oil?, thus the necessity for the pipelines?
“You’re simply not understanding what we’re doing and why” says the BLM.
Just a bunch of simple hicks we all are in the eyes of the BLM. We couldn’t possibly be allowed to have an opinion or get informed enough to understand. Were just a bunch of uneducated rubes in the eyes of the ruling class elites I guess.