Utah Office of Attorney General
07/10/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/10/2024 11:07
BLM Public Lands Rule Sparks NEPA Lawsuit from Utah and Wyoming
July 10, 2024
Utah and Wyoming are teaming up to sue the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for skipping a step in the process before it imposed a rule that significantly impacts the management of millions of acres of federal land, and restricts your use of those lands.
On this edition of the Legally Speaking podcast, we discuss the implications of this lawsuit with Assistant Attorney General Jason DeForest.
The BLM rule in question severely restricts access in the interest of conservation, according to the agency. Utah and Wyoming argue the new rule was implemented illegally. The states say BLM didn't comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires a study of the environmental effects of new rules on federal land.
Not only that, the Utah AG's Office says the BLM exceeded its authority and limits access to 245 million acres of federal public land, including 22.8 million acres in Utah.