Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced yesterday that the Obama Administration will reverse a Bush-era policy and make millions of acres of pristine BLM lands eligible for Wilderness designation. The order directs the BLM to identify and maintain an updated inventory of lands with wilderness characteristics. This is important because, though only Congress can designate Wilderness, the order directs the BLM to plan for potential future Wilderness designations by ensuring that certain lands maintain Wilderness qualities until Congress can act. The order overturns a Bush-era policy that stripped the BLM of its authority to administratively protect wild places that meet the definition of Wilderness.
Click here for the full story from the Associated Press.
Click here for an Interior Department Q&A about the new policy.