Podcast: Talking with Public Lands County Leaders, Part III

On October 8 and 9, the U.S. Congress passed resolutions under Congressional Review Act authority expressing disapproval of three Bureau of Land Management resource management plans covering public lands in Montana, Alaska and North Dakota. The resolutions repeal recently finalized resource management plans and revert the areas to prior land use plans.

On November 3, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would not develop a national recovery plan for the gray wolf, which is currently considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act in much of the contiguous United States. The Service’s assessment, which determines that a nationwide recovery plan is no longer necessary for gray wolves, is consistent with previous federal agency findings that the species no longer warrant endangered or threatened species protection.

On January 23, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471/S. 1462), also known as FOFA. Initially introduced by Representatives Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.), this bipartisan legislation will promote active forest management to curtail the wildfire crisis and protect rural communities, infrastructure and natural resources.