'Conservation leasing' could become an option on Wyoming public lands

But one thing the bureau wants to change is attracting a lot of attention: As written, the Public Lands Rule would allow lands to be leased not only for uses like drilling and grazing, but also for conservation. Wyoming’s top elected officials and a number of industry members have declared the measure an illegal attack on ranching and oil and gas development in the state.

The oil and gas industry is worried that the agency will use conservation leasing as a way to block companies from accessing minerals located beneath federal lands, “in violation of the multiple use mandate” handed to it by Congress, said Ryan McConnaughey, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming.

U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., introduced a bill alongside a number of other Republican senators earlier this month that would prevent the BLM from adopting the proposed rule and implementing conservation leasing.

Nearly half of Wyoming’s lands are owned by the federal government, Barrasso emphasized in a statement at the time. “The law has long recognized the value of managing much of that land for multiple use — including mineral development, grazing, recreation, and timber management,” he said.

Conservation leasing, he added, would “upend a system that is foundational to public land access and productivity” and poses “a threat to our Wyoming way of life and our economy.”

The Biden administration insists it will do none of those things.

During a two-hour virtual presentation and Q&A on the Public Lands Rule, much of which focused on the prospect of conservation leasing, bureau Director Tracy Stone-Manning said the agency has no intention of prioritizing conservation over any other use but wants to make sure it’s valued equally.

“If the BLM intends to fulfill its promise to the American people and to future generations, we need the tools to respond,” Stone-Manning said. “The proposed Public Lands Rule would provide us with some of those tools.”

The agency will hold three in-person public meetings, in Denver, Albuquerque and Reno, followed by a second virtual meeting on June 5. The public comment period, one of the agency’s longest in years for a proposed rule, will remain open until June 20.

Importantly, Stone-Manning said, “It codifies conservation, which we define as restoration and protection, as a multiple use on the landscape.” The bureau is confident the move complies with its legal obligations — and limitations — as an agency.

That assertion is likely to be tested. Both supporters and opponents of the proposed rule expect it to face legal challenges down the line. But despite the backlash from state leaders, the initiative has also won some local support.

“It seems like the rule has the potential to do a lot of good in Wyoming,” said Meghan Riley, public lands and wildlife advocate for the Wyoming Outdoor Council. She pointed to the widely agreed-upon need to safeguard winter range and migration corridors for mule deer and pronghorn antelope, both of which suffered heavy losses amid this year’s low temperatures and deep snow.

“Habitat is the key to making sure that our big game persist and can maintain their numbers in the future,” Riley said. “And then, in addition, obviously, there’s a lot of really just excellent sagebrush habitat on our BLM lands, especially in the southwestern part of the state.”

Riley also noted that the agency’s effort to recommit to its conservation mandate, without sacrificing its other responsibilities, seems to align with the views of Wyoming residents: 47% of Wyomingites say it’s more important to conserve public lands than maximize drilling and mining there, and 48% want drilling and mining prioritized, according to Colorado College’s 2023 Conservation in the West poll.

“Most of us in Wyoming cherish our public lands and abundant wildlife,” she said. “And I think finding ways to protect them as part of a multi-use landscape is a goal that a lot of us can get behind.”