U.S. Government overreaches as the Department of Interior seeks to prevent energy development on two million acres in Wyoming
The Interior Department recently proposed closing off more than two million acres in Wyoming to new fossil fuel and renewable energy production, drawing criticism from the state’s lawmakers and citizens.
In all, the plan proposed by Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would put 60 percent of the federally administered area’s 3.6 million acres out of play for energy development. BLM made the suggestions as part of its proposed Rock Springs Resource Management Plan that, if approved, would replace its nearly three-decade-old precursor document.
Interior’s proposed resource management plan for the Rock Springs district in southwest Wyoming would make a total of 1,076,039 acres closed to new oil leases, nearly double the 540,021 acres currently unavailable. It would also remove 461,036 acres from consideration for new coal leases, a 15 percent reduction from the currently available area.
The plan also removes nearly 822,000 acres for wind and solar power development and 390,260 acres for geothermal power development. The plan stated that the move was made because projects in those areas had the potential to harm wildlife habitats.
Congressional Republicans and other critics across western states have denounced the changes, saying they amount to a betrayal of BLM’s mandate to accommodate a range of uses on the 245 million acres managed by the bureau.
U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican who has often criticized the Biden administration’s energy policy, slammed the new proposal.
“The Biden-Harris administration is pushing Wyoming off an economic cliff with nothing more than a tattered parachute,” Barrasso said in a press release. “This plan isn’t designed to manage Wyoming’s natural resources. It is designed to suffocate them.”
As of 22 August 2024, the public will have 30 days to comment on the proposal before the Department of Interior makes its ultimate decision whether to adopt the plan or not. The rule, once finalized, is certain to face legal challenges. A number of oil and gas industry officials have signaled their intent to litigate the rule if finalized, particularly as it relates to designating more areas of critical environmental concern.
