click here to view the original blog post by Chris Markland * March 23, 2016 

On Tuesday, March 22, 2016, the National Association of Counties (NACo) submitted a request to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a 180 day extension of the public comment period for the BLM’s Resource Management Planning proposed rule, commonly known as “Planning 2.0”.  The proposed rule seeks to amend existing regulations relating to land use planning and opportunities for public engagement in the BLM’s planning process.

NACo expressed concerns that the current comment period, which closes on April 25, 2016, does not provide adequate time for counties to respond to the BLM on the potential impacts of the proposed rule, especially for those counties with limited budgetary and staffing resources.  Because the Planning 2.0 rule will impact how the BLM plans for and manages its 245 million acres of public lands and 700 million acres of subsurface minerals for years to come, the proposed rule could impact counties across the United States.

Counties’ goal in this effort is to ensure local government involvement is at the forefront of BLM resource management planning and that local governments have the time necessary to analyze the implications of the substantive regulatory changes presented in the Planning 2.0 rule.  As co-regulators and intergovernmental partners in the BLM’s mission, counties have a significant interest in providing BLM with the most meaningful information and analysis possible to help craft BLM regulations and land-use plans.  Extending the comment period will help ensure local governments and locally generated information continue to play a significant role in BLM land-use planning in the years to come.

A copy of the request letter sent by NACo is available here.  NACo is also encouraging counties with BLM land within their jurisdiction to send a similar request letters to the BLM.  To assist your county in making this request, a sample letter is available here.

Additional Resources:

  • A copy of NACo’s comment extension request letter is available here.
  • The BLM’s Planning 2.0 website is available here.
  • The Proposed Rule is available here.

– See more at: http://www.naco.org/blog/naco-requests-extension-blm-planning-20-rule-comment-period#sthash.dMSI0rdC.dpuf