The states of Utah and Wyoming have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court over the Public Lands Rule that allows the BLM to lease public lands for the use of “Conservation”. The rule took effect this month and has been met with widespread opposition by local and state officials. The lawsuit contends that the BLM has failed to uphold the NEPA obligation when it comes to the new policy. The complaint is 34 pages long and opposes the ways the new rule will lock up land and inhibit traditional land uses like grazing and recreation. Representative John Curtis has been among those in opposition and introduced the Western Economy Security Today Act, which passed this spring, in an effort to repeal the rule.
