Feds Decide Fate Of 2.5 Million New Mexico Acres
Published Date: 1/3/2025
Notice
Summary
The Bureau of Land Management just approved a new plan to manage over 4 million acres of land and minerals in central and northwestern New Mexico, replacing a plan from 1986. This means local communities, businesses, and nature will see updated rules for how the land is used, starting right away. The plan aims to balance protecting the environment with supporting activities like mining and recreation, with no new costs announced.
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 5 mixed.
Mineral Estate Management Updated
The Approved RMP covers about 3.6 million acres of subsurface mineral estate in the Rio Puerco decision area and updates how mineral resources will be managed in central and northwestern New Mexico. If you operate or plan to operate mining or subsurface extraction in Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Sandoval, Torrance, or Valencia counties, the new management direction in this RMP now applies.
Livestock Grazing Management Updated
The Approved RMP explicitly addresses livestock grazing within the Rio Puerco decision area that includes about 731,600 acres of surface estate. Ranchers and grazing permit holders in the listed New Mexico counties should expect the RMP's grazing management actions to apply now that the ROD is effective.
Renewable Energy and Land Uses Addressed
The Approved RMP includes management direction for renewable energy, transportation access, and land-use authorizations across the Rio Puerco decision area. Renewable energy developers and others seeking land-use authorizations in Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia counties will be subject to the new RMP rules now that the ROD is effective.
Tribal Consultation Emphasized; Pueblo Agreement
The Approved RMP acknowledges ancestral lands of affiliated Tribal Nations in the planning area and emphasizes cultural consultation and continual coordination with Tribal Nations. The BLM also entered into a protest resolution agreement with the Pueblo of San Felipe as part of resolving 24 protest letters submitted after the August 9, 2024 Proposed RMP/Final EIS.
Plan Effective Immediately (Dec 23, 2024)
The Bureau of Land Management's Record of Decision for the Rio Puerco Approved Resource Management Plan became effective when the Director signed it on December 23, 2024. That means the management decisions in the ROD apply right away across the decision area, which includes approximately 731,600 acres of surface estate and about 3.6 million acres of subsurface mineral estate in New Mexico.
Recreation and Public Access Management
The Approved RMP addresses recreation and areas with special designations in the Rio Puerco planning area, which includes parts of central and northwestern New Mexico within a 9.5 million acre planning area. If you recreate on public lands in the named counties, the RMP's management actions now guide what recreation and public access look like in those places.
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