Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration has canceled a rule introduced by the Biden administration which put equal importance on the use of public land for conservation as for development.
The decision by the Department of the Interior to get rid of the Public Lands Rule will make it easier for the Trump administration to boost drilling, logging, and mining on publicly-owned land even in areas important for ecological conservation.
During the Biden administration, the Bureau of Land Management was given the ability to lease land for restoration and conservation projects in the same way that it can lease land for mining and drilling.
On Monday, documents released by the Trump administration claimed that the Biden-era rules had exceeded the bureau's authority. The move came days after Washington lifted most restrictions on hunting in national parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas.
Washington's decision to repeal the rule pleased mining and oil lobbyists, who push for increased drilling and mining in some of the US' most pristine and important wildernesses and national parks.
"This action provides greater clarity and predictability for independent oil and natural gas producers – many of whom rely on consistent permitting and leasing processes to operate efficiently," said Independent Petroleum Association of America Executive Vice President Dan Naatz in a statement.
In contrast, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) expressed outrage at the decision, calling it "a major loss for the long-term stewardship of millions of acres of public land that belong to all of us."
"This fits a pattern of brazen attempts to sell off and sell out our shared public lands at the expense of public access and conservation," said NPCA Associate Director of Energy and Landscape Conservation Beau Kiklis.
"This rollback is the latest attempt by the administration to chip away at America’s conservation legacy while ignoring the will of the people."