By Nichola Groom
(Reuters) -The Biden administration on Thursday finalized new measures to protect the health of U.S. public lands, including by leasing acreage for conservation in much the same way as it offers land for development like drilling, mining and grazing.
The regulations from the Interior Department will help guard nearly a tenth of America's land base from the impact of climate change and enable industries to offset their environmental footprints, the agency said.
The move is consistent with the administration's goal to put climate change at the center of agency decisions and with Biden's pledge to conserve 30% of America's land and water.
The rule was welcomed by conservation groups, but an oil and gas industry group said it was illegal and pledged to sue.
The Bureau of Land Management's so-called Public Lands Rule clarifies that conservation is on par with other uses of public lands and directs the Interior Department division to consider land health when making decisions.
It also creates a new system whereby acreage can be leased to restore degraded landscapes or mitigate impacts from development on other public lands. The leases would not conflict with existing uses, the agency said.
"As stewards of America's public lands, the Interior Department takes seriously our role in helping bolster landscape resilience in the face of worsening climate impacts," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.
"Today's final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come."
Conservation groups said the BLM for too long had focused on development rather than preserving land health.
"This rule gives the BLM the tools it needs to right these wrongs and start improving the health of our public lands," Center for Western Priorities spokesperson Kate Groetzinger said in a statement. "It also provides tools for extractive industries to be part of the solution, rather than exacerbate the problem."
The Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies that operate on federal lands, said the rule would upend the balance on public lands between industries like energy, mining, grazing and recreation.
"This is a classic example of overreach by the Biden Administration, which has no problem ignoring basic law, and would be detrimental to rural communities all across the West that rely on responsible economic development on non-park, non-wilderness public lands," Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma said in a statement. "We have no choice but to litigate."