Updated 5 hours ago
Last progress December 11, 2025 (1 month ago)
Disapproves and nullifies the Bureau of Land Management’s Miles City Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment issued November 20, 2024, declaring that action to have no force or effect. The measure cites a GAO determination (June 25, 2025) that the document qualified as a rule under the Congressional Review Act, and uses that authority to rescind the listed action.
Identifies the specific action being addressed: the "Miles City Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment," described as issued November 20, 2024, as a record of decision and resource management plan amendment.
Notes a Government Accountability Office letter of opinion dated June 25, 2025, printed in the Congressional Record on June 26, 2025 (pages S3552–S3554), concluding that the record of decision and resource management plan amendment is a "rule" under the Congressional Review Act.
Congress disapproves the rule described above and states that the rule "shall have no force or effect."
Who is affected and how:
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and federal land managers: The nullification removes the agency's authority to implement or rely on the specified ROD and RMP amendment. BLM will need to decide whether to revert to the prior plan, reissue a planning document, or conduct further rulemaking and outreach, increasing administrative workload.
Local communities and stakeholders in the Miles City Field Office planning area: Communities that expected or relied on changes from the ROD/amendment (for recreation, conservation, resource development, or infrastructure) may see plans delayed or altered. Uncertainty may affect local planning and economic activity.
Ranchers, grazing permittees, and agricultural interests: If the amendment altered grazing allocations, seasons, or conditions, those changes would be undone, potentially returning to prior management conditions and requiring adjustments by permit holders.
Mining, energy, and infrastructure operators: Any authorizations or planning certainty provided by the disapproved ROD/amendment would be removed, potentially delaying projects, permit approvals, or investment decisions until BLM issues new guidance or planning documents.
Conservation and recreation groups: Conservation measures or public-land use rules included in the voided amendment would no longer be in effect; stakeholders favoring conservation may lose protections until new action is taken. Conversely, recreation access or other uses altered by the amendment could revert.
State and local governments: Entities that coordinated with or relied on the ROD/amendment for land-use planning or permitting may face uncertainty and need to adjust local decisions.
Legal and procedural impacts: The disapproval under the CRA can prompt administrative steps by BLM (reinstating prior plans or initiating new rulemaking) and could lead to litigation by affected parties. The measure itself does not appropriate funds or alter substantive statutes; its primary effect is to remove the specific agency action from legal effect.
Last progress July 10, 2025 (7 months ago)
Introduced on July 10, 2025 by Steve Daines
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.