WASHINGTON, DC — The Bureau of Land Management’s proposed rule for forest management and timber sale administration would significantly limit public involvement in land stewardship decisions on our public lands. The rule removes the protest process, erodes the appeals process, and is a direct violation of the Federal Lands Policy Management Act.

“This is one more example of how acting director William Perry Pendley wants to cut the public out of public lands,” said Tracy Stone-Manning, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation.  “By eliminating the protest process, the voices of community members, conservationists, recreationists, hunters and anglers will be silenced. Left unchecked, logging on BLM forest lands could have devastating impacts on fish and wildlife, outdoor recreation and climate change mitigation.” 

Members of the public and organizations like the National Wildlife Federation use the protest process to prevent destructive logging or to steer logging to areas that will have less harmful impacts on wildlife habitat. This proposed rule would prevent that public input. Today marks the final day that comments can be filed about this proposed rule change.