With a controversial federal land-use plan looming over Sweetwater County, local officials are taking a wait-and-see approach, while hoping that all options to oppose the plan aren’t exhausted.
“We’re just trying to put our heads together and figure out what happens next,” Sweetwater County Commissioner Taylor Jones told Cowboy State Daily.
Last week the Bureau of Land Management filed its record of decision, finalizing its Resource Management Plan (RMP) for roughly 3.6 million acres overseen by the agency’s Rock Springs office.
Much of that land is in Sweetwater County, and Jones and other local officials have vocally opposed the BLM’s preferred – and now finalized – alternative.
They say it’s far too restrictive toward energy development, livestock grazing, recreational access and other uses. That could wreck the county’s economy and take millions of dollars from local school budgets, opponents argue.
Act Of Congress
Gov. Mark Gordon blasted the BLM’s decision when it was announced on Friday.
Gordon also met with Sweetwater County officials, which was appreciated, Jones said.
And Wyoming’s Republican Congressional delegates – U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, and Rep. Harriet Hageman – have also voiced their support, he added.
“What they’re telling us is, ‘What do you want, Sweetwater County?’” he said.
The Congressional delegation could play a key role going forward. There’s a chance the BLM plan could be subject to revision, and possibly nullification, through the Congressional Review Act.
That would be an unprecedented move, because the Congressional Review Act has never been used to halt or revise a BLM land use plan, Jones said.
Even so, it will likely happen, particularly with President-elect Donald Trump returning to office, Wyoming resident Rob Wallace, who is the former assistant secretary of the Interior in the first Trump administration, previously told Cowboy State Daily.
Don’t Just Toss The Whole Thing Out
While the BLM’s preferred alternative is seen as a disaster by county officials, it would be best if Congress sent the plan back for further review and comment, Jones said.
Simply nullifying it would mean the entire process would have to start over from scratch, and that could take years, he said.
“There is a pretty solid feeling that we don’t want to toss the whole thing out,” Jones said.
‘Just Get This Behind Us’
As it was written, the 1,700-page RMP offers at least four alternatives. “Alternative B” is what the BLM ended up signing off on.
Alternative B is too restrictive for Sweetwater County – but it’s worth exploring some of the other alternatives, Jones said.
That still leaves the county essentially in a state of limbo, he added. If Congress decides to send the RMP back for further review and debate, that process will take considerable time and effort.
None of the other alternatives “have been fully analyzed,” Jones said. And while the county doesn’t want to rush into another decision, weariness with the process is starting to set in.
“We need to get something done, so we can just get this behind us,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
