Trump Public Lands

FILE - Cows graze along a section of the Missouri River that includes the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument on Sept. 19, 2011, near Fort Benton, Mont.

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Trump administration cancels rule that made conservation a 'use' of public lands

Trump administration cancels rule that made conservation a 'use' of public lands

The Interior Department is canceling a rule that put public lands conservation on equal footing with development. It's part of President Donald Trump's attempt to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned land. The land rule was a key part of efforts under former President Joe Biden to refocus the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management. The agency oversees about 10% of all land in the U.S. and has long concentrated on development. The canceled rule allowed public property to be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land for drilling.