03.27.17

Hoeven: President Signs CRA Protecting Multiple Use on Federal Lands, Repealing BLM Planning 2.0 Rule

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement today after the President signed into law legislation repealing the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) “Planning 2.0” rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Hoeven cosponsored the Senate version of the legislation to maintain multiple-use requirements for federal lands and to ensure resource management planning continues to be led by local BLM field offices in coordination with state, local and tribal governments. 

“The BLM Planning 2.0 rule moved decision-making away from the state and local level and pushed it up to bureaucrats in Washington,” said Hoeven. “Rolling back this rule ensures that federal land management is conducted at the local level, by those who best understand the land and the needs of the surrounding communities. Rescinding the BLM Planning 2.0 rule will also help ensure that we achieve our conservation goals while also keeping our federal lands available for beneficial uses, like grazing and recreation.”

BLM currently manages more than 246 million acres of land and 700 million acres of federal and non-federal subsurface estate. Prior to the enactment of Planning 2.0, resource management planning was largely led by BLM’s field offices in coordination with state, local and tribal governments. The BLM’s new rule undermines these well-established procedures, centralizes decision-making in Washington and ignores the multiple use requirements established by Congress.

Hoeven has worked throughout his tenure in the Senate to ensure that federal lands remain open for multiple uses, including grazing, energy production and recreation, while achieving conservation goals. As part of these efforts, he urged Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to oppose a one-size-fits-all approach to managing federal lands and balance these various needs.

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