In just the first few months of 2024, President Joe Bidens administration has been responsible for several conservation wins.

　　Biden saved Minnesotas Boundary Waters wilderness from planned mining operations in January. In April, the presidents Department of the Interior protected millions of acres of the Alaskan arctic from oil drilling. About the same time, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a new rule elevating the political power of conservation on all public land.

　　This week, many House Republicans made it clear they want to throw out those changes. They filed several bills aimed at reversing these federal decisions, including The WEST Act, which would overturn the BLM Public Land Rule. It passed on Tuesday with a House vote of212 to 202.

　　As a result, environmental groups are calling on Americans who support wilderness conservation to contact their representatives. Its highly unlikely that the Senate —much less Biden himself — will allow the House bills to become law.

　　But that could change in just a few months.

　　The conservation victories arent likely to survive a second term of Donald Trump, environmental groups said.

　　There should be no doubt that a future Trump administration would try and undo these conservation wins that we have applauded so loudly as hunters and anglers, said Kaden McArthur, government relations manager for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. They can be taken away just as easily.

　　Many state lawmakers fear the loss of land uses like cattle ranching, seen here in Hatch, Utah; (photo/Shutterstock) State Lawmakers Push Back McArthur called the BLM Public Land Rule approved in April a critical step forward for land management. Basically, the policy change means that federal officials can now treat conservation as equally valuable as other land uses, like drilling or ranching.

　　Many state lawmakers, however, want to preserve local control and business interests.

　　Thats why Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the WEST Act to reverse the rule change. The BLM rule only favors wealthy individuals and environmental groups, he said in a press release.

　　Instead, Utah land must remain open to ranching, resource development, mining, and timber harvesting, according to Curtis and his supporters.

　　View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rep. John Curtis (@repjohncurtis)

　　Similar accusations of federal overreach came from Alaska officials furious over the Biden administrations added protections for 13 million acres of arctic wilderness. The White House announced the land would remain available for subsistence uses and the needs for Alaska Native communities, in addition to a moratorium on new oil and gas leases in the U.S. Arctic Ocean.

　　That led Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) to introduce the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act. The bill — also passed by the House this week — would reinstate oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Stauber not only attacked Biden for limits on Alaska drilling, but also for preventing a proposed mining operation in Minnesotas Boundary Waters.

　　“From Minnesota to Alaska, President Biden has repeatedly prevented the responsible production of America’s abundance of natural resources, Stauber said in a statement.

　　Caribou herds have begun to dwindle in size, making Alaskan conservation more urgent, environmentalists said; (photo/Shutterstock) Environmental Groups Fear Impact of Trump Win Its not surprising that environmental groups are worried that Donald Trump retaking the White House would undo all their recent victories.

　　During his first term, Trump approved drilling and mining in both the Alaskan arctic and Minnesotas Boundary Waters. Bidens actions in those states were reinstating goals set by President Barack Obama that were later undone by Trump.

　　The Trump 2024 campaign did not respond to requests for comment. But environmental leaders feel confident they know what will happen to their conservation wins if he wins the presidential election in November.

　　While we hope we can continue to forge common sense approaches to managing public lands, we’re also clear-eyed that these rules — which challenge the status quo of how we’ve traditionally managed public lands for resource extraction — will likely face increased opposition if the administration changes hands, Felice Stadler, National Audubon Societys vice president of government affairs, said in a news release. Especially if Trump term one is a premonition of things to come.

　　View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters (@sportsmenbwca)

　　The uncertainty about the new rules lifespan is exactly why Americans need to start speaking up, said Christina Hazard, legislative director for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Just because these House bills wont pass this year doesn’t mean they won’t come back next year, she said.

　　But if federal officials implement the conservation rules quickly, that could change hearts and minds of the American public, making it harder to reverse course, Hazard said. She also asked Americans to do more than support recent victories for public land: Tell Congress to boost funding for the National Park Service.

　　Between 2012 and 2022, the Park Service lost 13% of its staff, but saw a 10% increase in visitation. Whether its saving the distant Alaskan wilderness — or simply keeping your nearest National Park free of trash — America needs to do more for its public lands, Hazard said.

　　If we don’t speak up, it’s easier for anyone in the future to walk these changes back, she said.

　　Permission Denied: Biden Blocks Road Through Alaska's Brooks RangeConservation and tribal groups welcomed the news, while Alaskan senators blasted Biden for preventing more resource extraction in the state. Read more