The Interior Department has eliminated a regulation that elevated environmental protection to the same status as industrial development, as the Trump administration works to reduce barriers for companies seeking to drill, mine, log, and graze on federally-owned property.
The regulation, implemented in 2024 during the Biden presidency, aimed to reshape how the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management operates across roughly 10% of America’s territory. The policy enabled public lands to be designated for environmental restoration through the same leasing process used by petroleum companies for extraction rights.
However, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum contended the regulation could have restricted access to hundreds of thousands of acres, hampering energy and timber operations while damaging ranchers dependent on public grazing areas.
Advocates maintained that environmental protection had historically taken a backseat at the land management agency, undermining its responsibilities outlined in the 1976 Federal Lands Policy Management Act. Although the bureau had previously granted conservation leases in select instances, no formal program existed before the Biden era.
Corporate interests and their Congressional Republican supporters vigorously fought against the regulation and campaigned for its elimination. They claimed Biden’s modification violated the “multiple use” requirements for Interior Department properties by elevating the “non-use” of federal territory — referring to restoration leases — to a dominant role.
The government’s extensive land portfolio is primarily located in western regions including Alaska, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Following his inauguration, Trump has launched numerous initiatives designed to increase fossil fuel extraction from these publicly-owned areas. The Republican leadership has also moved to diminish certain clean energy projects, alleging they received unfair government support during Biden’s tenure.
The formal elimination of the regulation was set for publication Tuesday in the Federal Register, with supporting documents released beforehand.
This development follows Congressional Republicans’ recent cancellation of land use strategies implemented during Biden’s final weeks that limited development across extensive portions of Alaska, Montana and North Dakota.
Beyond its surface territory, the Bureau of Land Management controls publicly-owned subsurface mineral deposits — including coal for electrical generation and lithium for clean energy applications — spanning over 1 million square miles. The agency has traditionally maintained industry-supportive policies and has distributed grazing rights and oil and gas permits for more than 100 years.
