'Flagrantly in violation of federal law': Biden admin faces pressure to rescind environmental proposal blocking oil drillingThe Biden administration's Bureau of Land Management is facing calls to rescind a March proposal that would effectively block oil drilling and mining on public land, Fox News Digital reported.
The BLM's proposed new rule would allow environmental groups to lease land for conservation use, thereby temporarily preventing the area from being used for oil drilling or mining projects. The eco-organizations could then use the land to conduct restoration projects.
Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the BLM is required to lease public land it manages for various uses, including oil drilling, mining, grazing, and recreational use. The new rule aims to add "conservation" to the BLM's "multiple-use" mandate, placing it "on equal footing" with the other land uses previously passed by Congress.
The BLM stated that its proposal aims to curb climate change and conserve the public lands' wildlife, landscapes, and natural resources.
After extending the proposal's public comment period, the agency received 170,000 comments, including firm opposition to the plan.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen told Fox News Digital that the BLM is attempting to "shove through another overarching, sweeping rule that's not supported by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act."
"They're trying to argue that conservation now somehow fits within the definition of uses under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and trying to do it by rule," he explained.
Knudsen accused the BLM's proposal of being "just flagrantly in violation of federal law" and claimed the agency was "trying to do it on the sly" because the administration would be unsuccessful in getting a law passed through Congress........
https://www.theblaze.com/news/flagrantly-in-violation-of-federal-law-biden-admin-faces-pressure-to-rescind-environmental-proposal-blocking-oil-drilling
