U.S. updates public land use planning process
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
U.S. government officials updated regulations adopted in 1979, and overhauled how they plan for oil and gas drilling, mining, grazing and other activities on public lands in the West, according to the Associated Press.
According to Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director Linda Lance, the changes will increase public involvement in land-use plans for development across 250 million acres in the Dakotas and 12 Western states. She also said the changes could cut years off the process, which currently averages eight.
The major complaint from those that oppose the overhaul has been that it places preservation above energy development and other uses.
Learn more: KSBY > APNewsBreak: US overhauls public land use planning
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