The Bureau of Land Management has the large and complex responsibility of managing more than 245 million acres of America’s public lands and roughly 700 million acres of its subsurface mineral estate for multiple use and sustained yield for current and future generations.
The BLM manages this portfolio on behalf of all Americans, while recognizing the considerable local and regional consequences our management decisions may have. This means the BLM must act in compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and policies while seeking consistency with local and regional laws, policies, plans, needs and values.
To guide our efforts, we develop Resource Management Plans (RMPs) that serve as blueprints for sustaining the health, ecological diversity, and productivity of the public lands. Our RMPs encompass a highly varied terrain, from Alaska’s North Slope, to California’s Mojave Desert, to the open space surrounding many rapidly growing western cities.
Citizens, user groups and businesses can participate in crafting Resource Management Plans; state, county, local and tribal governments can serve as cooperators in these efforts. Working with others helps us develop the best possible overall plans.
Learn how you can get involved in each step of the planning process.
The BLM makes sure that its Resource Management Plans meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), either through the production of detailed Environmental Impact Statements or less-complex Environmental Assessments and related documents. Most of these environmental reviews also offer the opportunity for public comment and participation.
Understand the parts of a plan, including special designations like Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.
