COLUMN: Plan could reduce multiple uses on BLM land

The Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, though in Wyoming, has the potential to set a dangerous precedent for all states with large amounts of BLM-managed acres. Colorado, of course, is one of those states. 

...The area encompasses 3.6-million-acres of public lands and 3.7 million acres of Federal mineral estate in portions of Lincoln, Sweetwater, Uinta, Sublette, and Fremont counties in southwest Wyoming. The draft plan, which has been in development for 12 years at the cost of nearly $9 million, could greatly reduce multiple uses on the BLM administered land. 

...The BLM’s preferred alternative, despite comments from the Rock Springs office to the contrary, takes multiple users off the land.

...It closes over 4,505 miles of routes to all uses and removes another 10,000 from the network completely. It excludes 2.4 million acres from new right of way uses and designates another 134,000 acres as right of way avoidance areas. This is a de facto elimination of mineral development on over 2 million acres and substantially affects livestock grazing. The plan removes 7,606 animal unit months, removes the ability to manage predators, adds 227,960 acres to wilderness study areas, and increases Areas of Critical Environmental Concern by over 1.3 millions...more

 ...has the potential to set a dangerous precedent for all states with large amounts of BLM-managed acres

 

 Ufortunately, this is probably correct. More wilderness, ACECs and other designations that limit public access and use, and less livestock grazing and other productive uses on the federal property.