US wants to lease public lands for conservation, Interior Dept says
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[March 31, 2023]
By Nichola Groom
(Reuters) -The U.S. Interior Department on Thursday proposed a new
program that would allow it to offer leases of public land for
conservation purposes, in much the same way as it currently offers
acreage for drilling, mining, and grazing.
The Biden administration's plan aims to protect landscapes from the
impact of climate change and enable industries to offset their
environmental footprints elsewhere, it said.
The move is consistent with the administration's stated goal to put
climate change at the center of agency decisions.
President Joe Biden has pledged to set the U.S. on a path to
decarbonizing the economy by 2050 in part by preserving lands whose
trees and other vegetation can absorb carbon dioxide, the main
greenhouse gas that drives global warming.
The Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management manages 10% of
U.S. lands, or 245 million acres (991,500 square kilometers), primarily
in western states. Uses range from grazing and recreation, to mining and
energy development.
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The Biden administration believes conservation is among the uses of
federal acreage permitted under the 1976 Federal Land Policy and
Management Act (FLPMA).
On a call with reporters, Interior officials said the idea to establish
"conservation leases" responds to requests by states and companies
seeking ways to mitigate the environmental impact of development
projects on public lands.
For instance, a solar energy project on public lands could compensate
for the loss of wildlife habitat by restoring habitat in another area.
Leases could also be used to restore migration corridors for big game or
to generate tradable offsets for carbon markets by preserving forests.
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![](../images/033123PIX/news_i67.jpg)
Several wild horses escape the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) gather trap along Highway 21 near the Sulphur
Herd Management Area south of Garrison, Utah, February 26, 2015.
Picture taken February 26, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
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Most major environmental groups praised the action by BLM for
prioritizing conservation.
"The time is ripe for BLM to strengthen its commitment to
conservation and bring its multiple use mandate into the 21st
century," Helen O'Shea, who works on conservation issues at the
Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement.
Asked how the rules would impact Interior's oil and gas leasing
program, an agency official said the proposal would ensure that
current activities on public lands could continue for decades to
come.
Interior's leasing programs for oil, gas and mining add billions of
dollars in revenue to federal coffers every year. The agency said
conservation leases would also generate revenue.
Kathleen Sgamma, president of oil and gas trade group Western Energy
Alliance, said conservation leases were not found in FLPMA and that
the rule would "stretch the boundaries of the law."
BLM will accept public comments on the proposal for 75 days.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gregorio and
Marguerita Choy)
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