Tuesday, February 07, 2017

House Passes Repeal of BLM Planning 2.0 Rule

Today, the House passed H.J. Res. 44 (Rep. Liz Cheney, WY-at large), a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the BLM Planning 2.0 Rule. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) gave the following remarks during floor debate:

“Planning 2.0 dilutes local and state voices and centralizes power here in Washington DC. […] This puts special interest groups above local elected officials, which is not the way it was ever intended,” Chairman Bishop said. “Counties all across the West expect their BLM officials to be responsive to their needs and manage their land with the best interest of the community in mind. Their livelihoods depend on it.”

 “Over time, we’ve established a set of commonsense regulations that ensure local governments and local communities are prioritized in federal land use planning. The BLM’s proposed rule strips local governments of their ability to coordinate in local land use planning with the agency on behalf of the people. This ultimately weakens input from surrounding communities and local citizens who are directly impacted by the management of federal lands. The BLM Planning Rule clearly prioritizes special interests over the protections of citizens, which is why today, I voted to overturn the BLM regulation to preserve the important role that local governments play in federal land use decisions and protect the citizens of New Mexico," stated Rep. Steve Pearce.

Over 60 groups support overturning the BLM Planning 2.0 Rule, including the New Mexico Association of Counties (NMAC), the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association, the New Mexico Coalition of Conservative Districts, and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about a HJ that does away with Federal ownership of vast tracks of realestate. There is no power granted by the Constitution for such.

Anonymous said...

Not true...Article 4, Clause 2 of the Constitution grants that right.