Over the past three months, 216,000 public comments were submitted regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Public Lands Rule — a rare outpouring in a bureaucratic process that confirmed Americans are invested in protecting public lands.

Before the comment period could even close, Congressional Republicans began drafting a bill that will toss those comments in the trash, run the rule through the shredder and block future conservation efforts from the agency. This abhorrent silencing of community voices and an assault on public lands that cannot be allowed to stand!

The Public Lands Rule has drawn tremendous support — as well as some useful constructive criticism — from Tribes, advocates, businesses, officials and community leaders alike. In an act of pure desperation, Congressional Republicans are willing to muzzle the public so that greedy extractive industries can continue to devastate public lands, wildlife and clean water without scrutiny.

This is about so much more than a simple rule or even conservation — this is a despicable and transparent effort to silence the public and shackle our governance to the whims of industrial oligarchs.

Thank you,