• Current plan could possibly make 1.8 million acres in SW Wyoming ‘single use.’

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis is encouraging residents throughout southwest Wyoming to make their feelings known about the current Resource Management Plan (RMP) recommendation which could seriously impact how a huge chunk of the state is used.

RELATED: SVI RADIO INTERVIEW: U.S. SENATOR CYNTHIA LUMMIS –

“They’ve been at this for about a year having released in August of 2023 a plan to put 1.8 million acres of land in Wyoming, all of which is managed by the Rock Springs field office, into Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, or ACEC,” she stated in an interview with SVI Media. “When an area is in that designation, it can be dropped down to a single use to protect land features. If that were enforced that way, it could end grazing, transmission line improvements [and] gas production. It is impacting the trona mines, hunting, mining and oil and gas and any improvements on the land. This is he most consequential recommendation  I’ve ever seen out of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). What’s most upsetting is they have disregarded ten years of work by local people who are very familiar with uses in this area and instead went with a recommendation of putting things out of bounds. This is worth a lot of time, effort and concern of the people of southwest Wyoming.”

Lummis added that she, along with Senator John Barrasso and Representative Harriet Hageman are united on this issue.

“We have contacted our colleagues to write a letter to withdraw this insane proposal,” she continued. “That was last October. It has not been withdrawn. We want people in the area, especially with those who access this ground or use this ground as a touchpoint in their lives, [to comment]. Whether they are grazing livestock or recreating, we want the people of southwest Wyoming to weigh in on this. So commenting on the proposal of ACEC in specific ways of how it affects them. That’s what we want to see. It would be enormously helpful of them to write to the [BLM] with their comments.”

While the area is managed by the Rock Springs field office, it affects multiple counties in the region including Lincoln, Uinta, Sublette and Carbon counties.

“The land itself extends way beyond Sweetwater County into several other counties so it covers a wide swath,” Lummis said.  “It’s important that everyone in that area understand the extent of what they are considering and weigh in on how it affects them specifically. The people of Lincoln county should be heard from.”

The interview with Senator Lummis took place during the Weekday Wake-up program and she was asked how a potential Donald Trump presidency might affect this particular issue.

“It would be huge, a game changer if President Trump is re-elected,” she responded. “The ten years of hard work that has been done to address the RMP as a multiple use; their work was thrown out with this current recommendation. This could be withdrawn if President Trump is elected. A new BLM director, a new Dept. of Interior Secretary could withdraw it and reinstate the preferred alternative. They are taking comment until September 23. The deadline for comments is coming right up. So if you can sound the alarm and spread the word, we would be most grateful.”

The deadline of September 23, is this upcoming Monday.  Comments can be submitted here.