Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has formally appealed the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) response to his office’s “Governor’s Consistency Review” of the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP) Revision.
The move marks the state’s final opportunity to influence the BLM’s plan before the federal agency finalizes it and issues a Record of Decision (ROD).
The Rock Springs RMP governs the management of 3.6 million acres of federal land in southwest Wyoming. It aims to balance conservation efforts with resource development, but Governor Gordon has argued that the BLM’s process has failed to properly consider Wyoming’s input.
“This appeal is necessary because the BLM’s response to Wyoming’s Consistency Review was superficial and dismissive,” Gordon said in a statement. “The Biden-Harris Administration seems more focused on advancing a political agenda than working collaboratively with the State, counties, and local communities on sound, durable land management policy.”
Gordon expressed hope that the BLM would reconsider Wyoming’s arguments, but he also signaled that the state would explore all available options, including possible legal action.
The appeal, submitted on Friday, December 13, 2024, outlines several grievances with the BLM’s approach. According to Gordon, the BLM’s Wyoming Director Andrew Archuleta treated Wyoming’s Consistency Review as a “mere paper exercise” rather than a genuine attempt to incorporate state input. The governor’s appeal letter highlights five key areas of concern, including calls for more multiple-use opportunities on the landscape, such as grazing, mineral extraction, and energy development.
Gordon also argued that the BLM failed to properly analyze the potential impact of its decisions on sage-grouse habitats and demanded that any unresolved issues from the Consistency Review be reopened for public comment.
The governor took particular issue with the proposed designation of the South Wind River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), urging the BLM to reconsider the proposal’s impact on Wyoming’s land-use priorities.
The Rock Springs RMP decision is closely tied to another high-profile land deal involving the state-owned Kelly Parcel in Teton County. The Wyoming Legislature had previously authorized the $100 million sale of the Kelly Parcel to the National Park Service, with the expectation that the BLM’s RMP decision would be completed first.
Governor Gordon has signed a sales agreement for the Kelly Parcel but has refused to fully certify the deal until the BLM finalizes its RMP and issues its Record of Decision. This delay has put pressure on the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, which is fundraising to cover the $38 million needed to bridge the gap between the sale price and the appraised value.
Foundation President Leslie Mattson warned state officials in November that if the deal isn’t completed by the end of the year, donor contributions tied to tax-year planning could be at risk.
The BLM must now respond to Gordon’s appeal, which will include the publication of a Federal Register notice. After that, the agency is expected to issue its final Record of Decision (ROD) on the Rock Springs RMP.
According to Brad Purdy, the BLM-Wyoming Deputy State Director for Communications, the final decision is expected around the end of the year, though no exact date has been confirmed.
“It will probably be right after Christmas or New Year’s,” Purdy said. “Headquarters will have to review what the governor put in his appeal.”
If the BLM grants any of Gordon’s requests — like reopening the comment period or reconsidering the ACEC designation — it could delay the final RMP decision and further jeopardize the Kelly Parcel transaction.
The Rock Springs RMP is part of a broader pattern of tension between Wyoming officials and the BLM over federal land-use decisions. Earlier this year, Wyoming sued the BLM over its management of the Buffalo Field Office RMP, which proposed an end to coal leasing in the Powder River Basin.
The political climate in Washington, D.C. could also influence the outcome. With a Republican-controlled Congress and Donald Trump set to return to the presidency in January, Gordon hinted at the possibility of reversing some BLM decisions.
“The incoming administration and a Republican Congress offer hope for more balanced resource management,” Gordon said.
With input from WyoToday Media, Casper Star-Tribune, and Bigfoot99 Radio.
