Copyright Salt Lake Tribune
The Trump administration proposes to rescind balanced management on public lands. Most of our public lands, these world-class canyon lands, desert peaks and basins in Utah are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Trump administration has put out for public comment a proposal to remove the “Conservation and Landscape Health Rule,” which called for balancing use with the needs of other users, wildlife, and the health of the land. For the reversal of management, the BLM misunderstands the balance Congress built into the term “multiple use” and incorrectly establishes management focused only on use. The definition “multiple use” in the Federal Land Policy Management Act contains 185 words. Generally, when discussing multiple use, most only consider the first 37 words of this definition, leaving unread and not considered the remainder. The opening sentence in the definition of multiple use calls for management of public lands and resources in a combination to best meet the needs of American people. The remainder of the definition calls for a balance between use and the need to protect wildlife, the health of the land, the needs of other users, and to meet other goals. Hidden in the definition of multiple use are legal obligations that are often overlooked. “Multiple use” management of the public lands must lead to “harmonious and coordinated management of the various resources without permanent impairment of the productivity of the land and the quality of the environment.” Productivity includes not only renewable products from the land but also the various elements of ecosystems. If the BLM were to allow a practice use, such as prolonged overgrazing, which caused lower future grass production, the action would appear to be illegal as well as arbitrary. Built into multiple use are measurable limitations with checks and balances. The Public Lands Rule, perhaps for the first time, intended to implement multiple use as Congress had written it. The Trump administration’s proposal would lead to management in conflict with true balanced multiple use. Please join me in opposing the “rescission of Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.” Comments at regulations.gov are due by Nov. 10. James Catlin, Salt Lake City
