ABQJournal (June 10, 2023) – A proposed rule under consideration by the Bureau of Land Management could help shape the future of Otero Mesa, the greater Chaco Canyon area and 13 million acres overseen by the federal agency in New Mexico.

And time is running out for the public to weigh in.

The agency is accepting public comment on the proposed public lands rule through June 20 — with a final decision expected in March next year.

The Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico called the rule a “highly flawed proposal” that should be withdrawn.  “By elevating conservation above all other uses,” Jim Winchester, the group’s executive director, said Thursday, “the BLM violates its own statutory requirements to balance multiple uses of public lands.”

Proposed BLM Public Lands Rule Will Have Outsized Impact In New Mexico