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U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Requiring Withdrawal of Controversial Proposed Rule

The U. S. House Committee on Natural Resources hearing held on Thursday, June 15, 2023, was singularly focused on H.R. 3397, sponsored by Rep. John R. Curtis (R-UT-3), which requires the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (“USBLM”) to withdraw its‘ Conservation and Landscape Health Proposed Rule.  This is the second such committee hearing held […]

| 3 min read | Tagged: , , , ,
AR
Environmental & Regulatory Policy Advisor

Congress Holds Oversight Hearing Regarding the Antiquities Act and the Bureau of Land Managements Proposed Rule on Conservation and Landscape Health

On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing titled “Examining the Biden Administration’s Efforts to Limit Access to Public Lands.”  In addition to discussing the Biden Administration’s actions and proposed actions in designating National Monuments via the Antiquities Act, testimony largely focused on […]

| 5 min read | Tagged: , , , ,
AR
Environmental & Regulatory Policy Advisor

Controversial BLM 3.0 Proposal Released for Public Comment

On April 3, 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) published a proposed rule to promote the conservation of the 245 million acres of public lands it manages.  The proposal purports to advance “BLM’s mission to manage the public lands for multiple use and sustained yield by prioritizing the health and resilience of ecosystems across […]

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New Bureau of Land Management Guidance on Geologic Carbon Sequestration on Federal Public Lands Answers Some Questions, But Uncertainty Remains for Split-Estate Lands

by John W. Andrews On June 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued formal guidance[1] describing BLM’s policy for authorizing use of federal public lands for site characterization, injection, and geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) for carbon capture and storage (CCS).  BLM Instruction Memorandum 2022-041 (IM 2022-041) […]

| 5 min read | Tagged: ,

Bureau of Land Management Headquarters Relocates

by Amanda Reeve As of August 10, 2020, with the signing of Secretary’s Order 3382 by the U.S. Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt, Grand Junction, Colorado is officially the new home to the headquarters for the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”). Since its inception in 1946, the BLM has been headquartered in Washington, DC; yet […]

| 1 min read | Tagged: , ,
AR
Environmental & Regulatory Policy Advisor

Colorado River News is a Mixed Bag: Heavy Snowmelt Can’t Prevent “Tier Zero” Shortage

by Fred Breedlove Every year, Colorado River water users anxiously wait for the results of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (“BOR”) August 24-Month Study Report. While the report is updated and published monthly, the August report is particularly significant because it sets the operational tier level for coordinated operation of Lakes Mead and Powell for the […]

FB

Divided Arizona Supreme Court Greenlights Major Development in Southern Arizona

by L. William Staudenmaier On August 9, 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a decision with potentially important implications for future residential and commercial development in Arizona. In Silver v. Pueblo Del Sol Water Company, a divided court held that the Arizona Department of Water Resources (“ADWR” or the “Department”) properly applied a long-standing regulation implementing […]

Reauthorization of Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act Offers Opportunities for Federal Land Users, Conservation

by John W. Andrews Buried deep inside the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018[1], legislation reviving the formerly expired Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) offers opportunities for potential purchasers of federal public lands, while also creating a source of funding for important conservation transactions. Originally enacted by Congress in 2000, FLTFA authorized the […]

Final BLM Planning 2.0 Rule Released

by Stephen Smithson The Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) has released its final Planning 2.0 rule for publication in the Federal Register.  It will be effective 30 days after publication.  The rule is here. The rule represents a comprehensive change to the planning process because it focuses on planning on a landscape scale. One of […]

| 1 min read | Tagged: , , , ,
RH
Former Partner

Proposed Amendments to BLM’s Planning 2.0 Initiative Could Significantly Impact the Management of Public Lands

by Christopher W. Payne On February 25, 2016, the United States Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) published proposed amendments to its land use planning rules as a part of its “Planning 2.0” initiative that was launched in May 2015.  The purpose of the Planning 2.0 initiative is to modernize the BLM’s planning process and increase public […]

| 2 min read | Tagged: , ,
CP
Former Associate