BLM Public Lands Rule Sparks NEPA Lawsuit from Utah and Wyoming

Utah and Wyoming teamed up to sue the BLM for skipping a step in the process before they imposed a new rule that significantly impacts land management and restricts your use of millions of acres of federal land.

The BLM Rule restricts access in the interest of conservation but Utah and Wyoming are fighting back saying the new rule was put into place illegally. The States say the BLM Rule doesn't comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires the study of the environmental effects of new rules on federal land.

The Utah Attorney General's Office is on top of this lawsuit saying the BLM exceeded its authority-limiting access to $245 million acres nationwide of federal public land, including $22.8 million acres here in Utah.

In this episode, we're speaking with Jason Deforest, an assistant attorney general in our office, who is overseeing this lawsuit.

Listen to the podcast here.