Announcement: Land Use Plans Are More Responsive to Community Needs
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued an updated rule that will make its land use planning more accessible to the public, more responsive to the changing conditions on the public lands, and more efficient.
The BLM manages 10 percent of the nation’s land and 30 percent of its subsurface minerals. Federal law requires the BLM to develop land use plans, which are essential tools for balancing the many competing uses and values of the nation’s public lands.
“Under the current system, it takes an average of eight years for the BLM to finish a land use plan.  Too often, by the time we’ve completed a plan, community priorities have evolved and conditions on the ground have changed as well,” said BLM Director Neil Kornze.  “This update to our planning rule allows for a more streamlined process that also increases collaboration and transparency.”
The final rule recognizes the vital partnerships that exist between the BLM and tribal, state, and local governments by providing special opportunities for cooperation and collaboration.  The rule also enhances the consistency between the BLM’s land use plans and the plans of other governments.
Read the full press release to learn more about the updated plan.
The final Planning 2.0 rule can be accessed at www.blm.gov/plan2
