Another Huge Victory for OHV Access to our Public Lands

Utah Public Lands Alliance (UPLA) is proud to celebrate a major victory for public land access and the future of multiple-use management across America. With the Bureau of Land Management’s final rescission of the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule — commonly referred to as the “Public Lands Rule” — the voices of public land users, local communities, and responsible recreation advocates were finally heard.

For more than a year, UPLA worked tirelessly to oppose the rule and educate the public about its far-reaching consequences. From the beginning, UPLA warned that the rule threatened to fundamentally alter the multiple-use mandate established by Congress under FLPMA by elevating “conservation” as a dominant use capable of restricting recreation, access, grazing, energy development, and other lawful public uses of BLM lands.

UPLA’s leadership, volunteers, and members engaged in one of the most extensive advocacy efforts in our organization’s history. We submitted detailed and substantive comments during both the original rulemaking process and the rescission process, outlining legal, procedural, economic, and public-access concerns. Our comments addressed issues including:

• Violations of Congressional intent and the multiple-use mandate
• Improper expansion of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs)
• The dangerous precedent of conservation leasing and privatized control of public lands
• Regulatory overreach exceeding BLM’s statutory authority
• Economic impacts to rural communities and recreation economies
• Discrimination against disabled users and those dependent on motorized access
• The threat posed to public access, tourism, stewardship, and volunteerism

UPLA’s comments were not merely submitted — they mattered.

In the BLM’s final rescission rule, many of the very concerns raised by UPLA were specifically acknowledged and ultimately agreed with by the agency. The final rescission repeatedly recognized that the rule:

• Created unnecessary regulatory burdens
• Elevated conservation in a manner inconsistent with FLPMA
• Introduced excessive procedural complexity and litigation risk
• Threatened productive uses and access to public lands
• Expanded ACEC processes beyond Congressional intent
• Created uncertainty through restoration and mitigation leasing
• Imposed unnecessary restrictions and administrative burdens on land users

These concerns closely mirrored the arguments UPLA raised throughout our comment submissions and public outreach efforts.

UPLA also worked aggressively beyond the formal comment process. Our organization directly engaged with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, urging the administration to fully rescind the rule and restore balance to public land management. We emphasized that America’s public lands belong to the people — not special interests — and that access, recreation, stewardship, and responsible use must remain central components of federal land management policy.

This victory did not happen by accident.

It happened because thousands of public land users spoke up. It happened because organizations like UPLA refused to stay silent. It happened because substantive comments, legal analysis, public pressure, and grassroots advocacy made a difference.

UPLA thanks every member, supporter, volunteer, donor, club, business partner, and public lands advocate who participated in this fight. Whether you submitted comments, attended meetings, shared information online, donated to the cause, or helped educate others, your efforts mattered. I am especially proud for the extensive legal research and supporting documentation in preparing of our comments by our Natural Resource Consultant, Rose Winn.

This rescission is proof that citizen involvement works.

But the fight for public land access is far from over.

UPLA will continue working to ensure that public lands remain open, accessible, and managed under the true principles of multiple use and sustained yield for future generations. We remain committed to defending responsible recreation, protecting access, promoting stewardship, and ensuring that America’s public lands stay in the hands of the American people.

We Fight. We Win. We Ride.

Loren Campbell