Wyoming leaders and many residents are applauding this week’s announcement that the BLM Resource Management Plan for the Rock Springs area has been shut down by the Trump administration. The plan was hotly resisted before being finalized in December. It was criticized as being pushed through and Wyoming Governor Mike Gordon called it a parting shot from the Biden administration. Wyoming legislators, including Senator Stacy Jones, J.T. Larson, and Representative Cody Wylie, released a statement on Thursday in response to the announcement. “This decision,” shares the legislators, “paves the way to reverse an unworkable and restrictive proposal that would devastate Wyoming’s ability to responsibly recreate, develop, and produce on these public lands.” The land in question is 1.8 million acres mostly located in Sweetwater County that the new management plan designated as “areas of critical environmental concern” which put a sudden stop to public access. While it is unclear exactly what this means moving forward, it is considered great news to those in other areas, including northeastern Utah, where the BLM has been working on similar Resource Management Plans.
