WASHINGTON, D.C. – Leaders from environmental organizations expressed support during a conference call Thursday for a proposed Bureau of Land Management rule that would increase public involvement in the agency’s management of some 245 million acres of public lands.
The effort, known as the Planning 2.0 rule, seeks to modernize BLM’s planning by increasing public participation during the creation of resource management plans and by making “revisions to clarify existing text and use plain language” so the public has a better sense of what regulations would accomplish.
Nada Culver, director of the BLM Action Center for the Wilderness Society and one of the participants of the conference call, said the planning rule was an effort by the agency toward greater transparency. But she said the rule needed to further highlight the importance of using master leasing plans, especially in Western states.
“Master leasing plans, like this overall Planning 2.0 vision, are an important way to develop a shared vision for landscapes that’s based on up-to-date information and public input,” Culver said. “And this type of transparency and accuracy and engagement, we feel, builds a better process and gives access and input to a wide range of people who care about our public lands.”
Master leasing plans were introduced in 2010 to limit the impact of oil and natural gas drilling on surrounding recreational areas.
The participants on the call said the MLP process allowed local communities to have a larger say in the management of public lands, especially areas economically dependent on tourism and outdoor recreation.
Nick Lund, senior manager of the landscape conservation program at the National Parks Conservation Association, said MLPs were especially critical to the preservation of natural parks and surrounding communities across the West.
He cited data from the National Park Service which showed that about 1.8 million tourists visited national parks surrounding Moab, Utah, spending about $177 million that supports about 4,000 local jobs. He said economies dependent on parks would be impacted by oil and natural gas drilling near the park boundaries, potentially impacting the visitor experience.
“These are economies that are important and deserve the respect of an MLP,” Lund said. “Long-term plans like these create certainty for local communities that depend on park visitation, and the plans provide opportunities for businesses and outdoor recreation that depend on these lands and the visitors to participate.”
The conference call was held in advance of a BLM-sponsored public meeting Friday in Denver on the proposed planning rule.
egraham@durangoherald.com. Edward Graham is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald.
