The Trump administration announced Monday that it will repeal the Biden‑era rule that let the Bureau of Land Management lease public lands for conservation projects. The regulation covered roughly 245 million acres—about one‑tenth of the United States—primarily in the West. Its removal clears the way for expanded oil, gas, mining, logging and grazing on those parcels. The move follows a September proposal and comment period.

Industry groups and Republican‑led states praised the rollback as a return to “energy production on public lands,” citing the Great American Outdoors Act as the preferred conservation vehicle. Critics, including the Wilderness Society and Sierra Club, argued the move abandons a balance the BLM has lacked since its 1946 founding, risking habitat fragmentation and worsening climate‑driven wildfires. They say rule would have funded habitat restoration.

The repeal will be finalized in the Federal Register on Tuesday, just as the Senate prepares to confirm Steve Pearce, Trump’s BLM nominee, whose past comments about selling public lands have drawn scrutiny. With no new conservation leases awarded, investors in oil, gas and timber may see increased leasing opportunities, while environmental groups warn of long‑term ecosystem costs. Stakeholders anticipate shift in lease pricing dynamics.