Section 302 – Principles to be recognized and promoted.

Effective 7/1/2021
63L-11-302. Principles to be recognized and promoted.
The office shall recognize and promote the following principles when preparing any policies, plans, programs, processes, or desired outcomes relating to federal lands and natural resources on federal lands under Section 63L-11-301:

• (1)
  • (a) the citizens of the state are best served by applying multiple-use and sustained-yield principles in public land use planning and management; and
  • (b) multiple-use and sustained-yield management means that federal agencies should develop and implement management plans and make other resource-use decisions that:
    • (i) achieve and maintain in perpetuity a high-level annual or regular periodic output of mineral and various renewable resources from public lands;
    • (ii) support valid existing transportation, mineral, and grazing privileges at the highest reasonably sustainable levels;
    • (iii) support the specific plans, programs, processes, and policies of state agencies and local governments;
    • (iv) are designed to produce and provide the desired vegetation for the watersheds, timber, food, fiber, livestock forage, wildlife forage, and minerals that are necessary to meet present needs and future economic growth and community expansion without permanent impairment of the productivity of the land;
    • (v) meet the recreational needs and the personal and business-related transportation needs of the citizens of the state by providing access throughout the state;
    • (vi) meet the recreational needs of the citizens of the state;
    • (vii) meet the needs of wildlife;
    • (viii) provide for the preservation of cultural resources, both historical and archaeological;
    • (ix) meet the needs of economic development;
    • (x) meet the needs of community development; and
    • (xi) provide for the protection of water rights;

• (2) managing public lands for wilderness characteristics circumvents the statutory wilderness process and is inconsistent with the multiple-use and sustained-yield management standard that applies to all Bureau of Land Management and United States.