WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), along with Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), introduced legislation to protect multiple use policy on federal lands. The legislation blocks the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Public Lands Rule.

“Nearly half of the land in Wyoming is owned by the federal government. The law has long recognized the value of managing much of that land for multiple use — including mineral development, grazing, recreation, and timber management," Barrasso said. "In Wyoming, we pride ourselves on being responsible environmental stewards of the land. Now, the radicals in the Biden administration are trying to upend a system that is foundational to public land access and productivity. Their outrageous rule is a threat to our Wyoming way of life and our economy. My bill directs the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw this disastrous proposal and follow the law.”

Read the text of the bill here.

Background Information:

Ranking member Barrasso addressed the proposed rule in a hearing with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on May 2, 2023.

###