East Idaho Times

U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch of Idaho, along with Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, have led a group of 22 colleagues in addressing concerns to Heather Gottry, Director of the U.S. Department of the Interior Ethics Office. The letter calls for the identification of conflicts of interest within the department and requests that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials recuse themselves from agency business during their tenure.

The lawmakers expressed their concerns about policies imposed by the BLM over the past four years, which they claim align with the future employer's agenda of its director. "Over the last four years, the American West has suffered greatly as the BLM has imposed policies straight from the playbook of the BLM Director’s future employer," they wrote. They argue that these policies have adversely affected those who depend on public lands for economic reasons.

Further criticism was directed at what is seen as a disregard for legal mandates concerning onshore oil and gas lease sales. "Communities have languished from the BLM’s flat-out refusal to follow the law that mandates onshore oil and gas lease sales," stated Crapo, Risch, and Lummis in their letter.

The letter also highlights challenges faced by ranchers regarding grazing permit renewals amid new rules prioritizing conservation equally with multiple-use activities. This rule is viewed as a threat to businesses reliant on land use for economic survival: "Ranchers have struggled with grazing permit renewals all while staring down a new rule that improperly puts ‘conservation’ on equal footing with multiple use activities and threatening to end their businesses."

In addition to Crapo, Risch, and Lummis, other signatories include Senators John Barrasso (Wyoming), Mike Lee (Utah), Steve Daines (Montana), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), John Boozman (Arkansas), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Pete Ricketts (Nebraska), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota) and 14 members from the U.S. House of Representatives.