ID HJM006

Idaho Legislature opposes the Bureau of Land Management's proposed "Conservation and Landscape Health" rule and urges complete withdrawal.

Proposed rule would elevate conservation to equal status with other multiple-use requirements under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), potentially restricting grazing, recreation, and tribal access to federal lands.

Legislature contends the rule attempts to reinterpret 50-year-old federal law through agency action rather than Congressional amendment, exceeding agency authority.

Concerns include uncertainty about how the rule will affect areas of critical environmental concern, threatened and endangered species protections, and likelihood of increased litigation and bureaucratic confusion.

House Chief Clerk directed to distribute memorial to President of Senate, Speaker of House, Idaho's Congressional delegation, and Department of Interior Director.