WYOMING — Nearly 14 years in the making and after enduring a long process attached to the sale of the Kelly Parcel, the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP) Record of Decision (ROD) was approved by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Dec. 20. The plan will manage and allocate the uses of 3.6 million acres of public land in the Red Desert region in southern Wyoming.
BLM Deputy State Director Brad Purdy told Buckrail on Dec. 31, that the Red Desert, which is considered “the largest contiguous desert wildland area” in the lower-48, provides much needed public lands to Wyoming residents. The landscape also supports habitat for the threatened Greater sage-grouse, mule deer, pronghorn and desert elk.
In February, the BLM’s Rock Springs Plan and the Kelly Parcel became intertwined when the Wyoming’s State Board of Land Commissioners (SBLC) — which includes Governor Mark Gordon, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Auditor Kristi Racines, Treasurer Curt Meier and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder — made the decision that the state would not sell the Kelly Parcel to the National Park Service (NPS) unless the BLM amended its preferred Alternative B to its Rock Springs plan. Alternative B would have conserved the most land area in the Red Desert for physical, biological and cultural resources, per the RMP.
“There was a lot of back and forth and questions about the Kelly Parcel,” Purdy said. “The Kelly Parcel is not even within the administrative area that the Rock Springs Field Office manages. I don’t think we could have made a decision on a parcel that we have no administrative authority over.”
According to Purdy, prior to 2024, the Rock Springs RMP had not been updated since the mid-’90s and revisions were long overdue.
“It’s a solid plan that does allow for multiple use,” Purdy said. “It allows for fossil fuel or renewal energy development where appropriate. It protects some landscapes as appropriate. The reason why it’s such a good plan is because we had such a large amount of public input. If everyone didn’t get everything that they wanted, that’s part of the multiple use sustained yield mission that the BLM is required to do.”
According BLM, the Rock Springs draft received 35,000 public comments, along with input from Tribal Councils and the Governor’s Task Force through the University of Wyoming.
On Dec. 20, the ROD was finalized almost year after Wyoming Legislators connected the sale of the Kelly Parcel in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) to the Rock Springs plan. According to the RMP’s final revision and ROD, the BLM moved forward with a combination of Alternative B and Alternative D. The preferred Alternative B would have closed 61% of the field office to oil and gas; the final RMP will close only 30% to oil and gas development, per the ROD.
“There were many, many edits before what was to be the proposed RMP in the final Environmental Impact Statement,” Purdy said. “You will see aspects from all the alternatives in that final proposed RMP that the BLM adopted.”
The final RMP will manage multi-land-use for the next two decades, including areas for off-road recreation, oil and gas development, renewable energy, wild horses, historic trails, livestock grazing and crucial winter range for wildlife, according to the BLM.
On the same day of the ROD’s approval, Governor Gordon appealed to his Consistency Review to cancel the Rock Springs plan to allow for greater mineral extraction in the Red Desert. BLM Principal Deputy Director Nada Culver immediately rejected the Governor’s appeal to his Governor’s Consistency Review response, and the ROD went through as proposed, according to the BLM.
Governor Mark Gordon then wrote a letter on Dec. 27, stating that the Rock Springs plan ROD still met the conditions required for the Kelly Parcel sale. In the Governor’s certification of sale letter, he wrote, “I have determined that the ROD did not specifically select Alternative B for fluid mineral leasing management action, and complies with the condition of sale.”
The Department of the Interior then moved ahead with purchasing the 640-acre Kelly parcel within GTNP from the State of Wyoming for $100 million on Dec. 30. Even though the Rock Springs plan met the criteria for the Kelly Parcel sale, Governor Gordon issued a statement protesting the final Rocks Springs plan.
“While acknowledging the ROD meets the conditions required for the Kelly Parcel sale, Governor Gordon noted the BLM clearly selected numerous management actions that do not align with local input, policies or the overarching principle of multiple use of public lands,” a letter from the Governor’s Office read. “Because of this, the Governor will seek the complete withdrawal or substantial amendments to the ROD once the Trump Administration takes office. “
Purdy explained that the final Rock Springs plan can still be adjusted to accommodate different statewide projects.
“It’s very common for someone to come in with an energy development project that is in conflict with the final Rock Springs plan,” Purdy said. “There are mechanisms to adjust the RMP through project level NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act].
According to Purdy, litigation against the final RMP could still be possible.
“If the State of Wyoming chooses to litigate against the final decision, that is certainly something that they can do,” Purdy said.
Purdy spoke of the benefits of stewarding this public land for years to come.
“These are absolutely stunning landscapes,” Purdy said. “As a resident of Wyoming, I think we’re blessed to have these public lands to be able to enjoy, to recreate on and it drives a lot of the local economies.”
