Senate overturns BLM’s flawed Planning 2.0 rule
by U.S. Senator Mike Enzi media release
March 7, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate today (Tuesday, March 7, 2017) voted to overturn the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Planning 2.0 Rule, which implemented sweeping changes to how the BLM develops resource management plans. U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., praised the vote, which they said would return power back to those who actually live near BLM lands in western states.
The resolution now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.
"If you are from the west, you understand the great impact that rules over federal land management can have, whether you are dealing with grazing, energy and mineral development, or recreation. This Obama Administration rule, finished right before he left office, would shift the power away from state and local government and into the hands of Washington, D.C.," Enzi said. "In Wyoming, almost half of the land is owned by the federal government and most of that is overseen by the BLM. We should be empowering state and local voices in land management processes, not trying to sideline them. The current land management program has issues, but this is not the fix we need."
"The Obama administration’s BLM Planning 2.0 rule would have done more harm than good," Barrasso said. "We need to make management plans more cohesive among local offices, but giving local decision-making authority to the director’s office in Washington, D.C. is not the answer. Wyoming, not Washington, is in the best position to ensure local land planning decisions are right for our natural resources, wildlife, and communities. These local plans must include key input from county commissioners, sportsmen, local businesses and those who interact daily with these landscapes. Now that we’ve overturned this misguided rule, we can work together on a new policy that makes the planning process more efficient and improves local stakeholder input."
The House already passed the resolution of disapproval, which was introduced by Representative Liz Cheney R-Wyo., under the Congressional Review Act. Enzi and Barrasso cosponsored the Senate version of the bill introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
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