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Sweetwater County commissioners unanimously approve letter backing Hageman move to block Rock Springs RMP implementation
Summary
The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a letter of support for legislation that would prohibit implementation of the Rock Springs Field Office Resource Management Plan, after Land Use Director Eric Bingham briefed the board on the request from Representative Harriet Hageman's office.
The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners on May 6 unanimously approved a letter of support for Representative Harriet Hageman's office asking Congress to prohibit implementation of the Rock Springs Field Office Resource Management Plan (RMP).
Land Use Director Eric Bingham told commissioners the request arrived Friday and asked the board to sign the letter before a noon deadline. "This is a step in the direction of legislation to put forward a bill that will nullify the Rock Springs resource management plan," Bingham said, adding the county’s protests and concerns had been disregarded by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). He also said parts of the RMP conflict with recent presidential executive orders and the secretary of the interior’s directives to reduce barriers to development and increase public-land leasing opportunities.
The board placed the letter on the agenda as an added item and moved to approve it. Commissioner Jones made the motion and Commissioner Tillman seconded; the vote was unanimous.
Why it matters: the Rock Springs RMP controls multiple-use management decisions on BLM-managed lands in and around Sweetwater County. County officials have repeatedly argued the plan limits local energy and land-use priorities; Bingham framed the letter as part of an ongoing push to seek congressional and executive relief from those provisions.
The action taken on Tuesday was only to approve and sign a letter of support to Hageman's office. Bingham noted the letter references the county's prior protest record and stated the board’s support for prohibiting implementation; he asked commissioners to sign so the office could receive it before their stated deadline.
No additional formal county direction, ordinance or budget allocation related to the RMP was adopted at the meeting. The county did not vote on or introduce federal legislation; the board’s vote approved only the letter of support presented on May 6.
Ending: The signed letter was to be delivered to Representative Hageman’s office that day. Commissioners discussed the item briefly and then continued the agenda.
